Coventry University and NHS England KTP 23_24 R6

Sexual assault services across the UK are being redesigned using survivor testimony and clinical data, rather than guesswork or outdated protocols. This matters because sexual violence and abuse affect hundreds of thousands of people each year, yet the care pathways they encounter are often fragmented, designed for acute incidents rather than lifelong recovery, and rarely informed by what survivors themselves say works. The project embeds state-of-the-art, survivor-centred research evidence directly into NHS sexual assault and abuse services. It does not simply collect data and publish papers—it collaborates with service providers to re-imagine care pathways based on individual and lifelong needs. If successful, the approach could transform how the NHS responds to sexual violence. Instead of a one-size-fits-all crisis model, survivors might receive tailored support that adapts over years, not hours. The impact would be felt in emergency departments, GP surgeries, mental health services, and police liaison units—the quiet infrastructure that handles the aftermath of abuse. Better pathways mean fewer people fall through gaps, and outcomes—physical, psychological, social—improve. This is applied implementation science: taking what is already known from research and making it work in the real world.