Young victims of sexual assault are not being forensically examined within a critical time period at some privately-run referral centres, a BBC investigation has found.
Doctors also told the BBC they had seen cases of incorrect recordings of injuries and evidence contamination.
Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove said the "failings" were "shocking".
NHS England - which jointly commissions services - said it had not been made aware of the concerns.
Following a sexual assault, victims are taken to sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) to be forensically examined.
The first three days following a sexual assault is considered the key forensic window for young children because their injuries can heal quickly and DNA is less likely to be retained.
The BBC has spoken to eight doctors who wanted to blow the whistle on the poor care they had seen at privately-run SARCs.
There are many such centres across England, many of which are run by private companies.
'A significant number'
One of the doctors, who works across multiple centres, said she was aware of 10 cases in the past two years where pre-pubescent children were not forensically examined within three days of being assaulted because there was not a qualified member of staff available.
"Ten children missing out on forensic samples is quite a significant number," she said.
"When you lose the forensics, that's something you can't get back."
Read Entire Article on BBC News
Comments
Post a Comment