Following the news Kent's only self-referral rape centre is under threat, reporter ALISON WHITE visited the facility at Darent Valley Hospital to find out more about the care on offer at the "one-stop shop".

THERE are only 14 sexual assault referral centres in the country and only one in Kent, based in the Renton Clinic at Darent Valley hospital.

The centres were set up to fill a gap in care offered to victims, ensuring they are offered enough support to reduce the trauma of an attack.

Lead nurse Harry Smith wants to set the record straight about how invaluable the service is to victims of sexual assault.

The clinic, run in partnership between the police and health services, offers rape victims immediate medical care after an assault.

But Mr Smith, who is in charge of genito-urinary medicine and HIV services, has received a letter from the police saying their involvement is to end.

He is fighting the closure of a service "essential for victims of sexual assault".

The clinic, which was set up in 2004 after a £100,000 grant from the Home Office, offers a friendly welcome 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has five fully-trained staff and visiting specialists.

Victims may initially arrive at A&E or be escorted to the centre after reporting the crime to police.

But what sets the centre in Kent apart is victims can receive treatment and give forensic and spoken evidence as an alternative to talking to the police.

It is up to them whether they go on to report the crime.

The centre's specialist equipment is also used to collect evidence from children and adolescents who may have suffered abuse for years.

Victims are initially given an interview by medical staff to find out what happened. This is later used as part of the evidence.

An examination is made and swabs are stored in police evidence bags.

A camera can be used to take pictures of internal damage, which are named, dated and recorded for use in court.

This equipment, which costs £20,000, helps provide essential evidence to prove assaults on children and adolescents, as their anatomy is more complicated than that of adults.

Victims can have a bath, shower, receive a fresh change of clothes and have a drink.

They are then interviewed in a room designed to make them feel relaxed. Audio and visual equipment records their statement.

The examination room is forensically cleaned after each use to ensure each new examination is not contaminated by other DNA.

Victims are issued with drugs to help reduce the risk of contracting Hepatitis B or HIV from an attacker and given emergency contraceptives.

Victims have follow-up visits to check for sexually-transmitted diseases and there is information about counselling available to help them deal with the attack.

The clinic's forensic medical examiner has seen patients, the majority of them women, aged between three months old and 70 years old.

There have been visits from people who suspect they have been date-raped and cannot remember if they have been assaulted.

Mr Smith has contacted Kent police and the Home Office to urge them to save the centre.

He said: "We were setting up this wonderful service and at the same time we got a letter proposing the closure.

"Across the country they are struggling to set them up and we are talking about closing them."

A Kent police spokesman said: "It was a pilot project. It was never meant to be permanent.

"It is still being evaluated. The evaluation will continue until the end of the month."