The medical examination of rape victims in England and Wales should no longer be the responsibility of police forces but should be brought under the umbrella of the NHS, two reports commissioned by the government have strongly urged. A report on the treatment of rape victims from a team led by the cross bench peer Vivien Stern has "wholeheartedly" supported a proposal to transfer the funding and commissioning of forensic medical services from the police to the NHS. The Stern report, commissioned by the Government Equalities Office and the Home Office, endorsed the view of the taskforce on the health aspects of violence against women and children, which reported last week that forensic physicians should be employed by the NHS and be part of the NHS clinical governance framework.
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", language="en", issn="0959-8138", doi="10.1136/bmj.c1508", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c1508" }