An “enhanced” integrated sexual health service will be available on the NHS for all residents in Nottinghamshire from October. Nottinghamshire County Council says that local authorities have a “mandatory duty to commission comprehensive sexual health services for their residents”.
Currently, this is provided through several contracts. The improved service, commissioned jointly by Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council “will ensure that everyone has access to the same high quality ‘one stop shop’ for sexual health services, regardless of where they live.”
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust will lead on the new service, in partnership with Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Kings Mill Hospital in Sutton. The service will be supported by Preventx, a company that runs the UK’s largest programme of remote sexual health testing in the UK.
“Good sexual health is an important aspect of health and wellbeing, and improving sexual health outcomes remains a public health priority”, Councillor Scott Carlton, Nottingham County Council’s cabinet member for communities and public health, said. “As part of our joint commitment to addressing health inequalities, the integrated sexual health service will focus on ensuring all residents, including those most at risk of sexual ill-health, have access to services that continue to deliver the very best outcomes for them.”
In a joint statement, Nottingham University Hospitals and Sherwood Forest Hospitals said that they “are delighted that they have been awarded the contract for the integrated sexual health service for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”
They added: “We look forward to working collaboratively to develop the current sexual health service into an even better one for all our citizens. There will be a single brand, a new website, online testing and clinic-based services, with health promotion and outreach across the whole city and county. This will make accessing care easier.”
The new service will be free and confidential, and provide health promotion and targeted outreach support to the most vulnerable and people at greater risk. There will be an increased choice for residents by keeping face-to-face and walk-in appointments, whilst making the most of new technology to offer online services to support those who prefer a remote option.
The service will also provide a single website as a reliable source of information so that residents can make informed choices about their sexual health and know how to access the services they need. “I am delighted that the new service is launching to provide even better sexual healthcare and access for local people in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County”, the portfolio holder for adult social care and health at Nottingham City Council, Councillor Woodings, said. “Sexual health is an important part of overall health at all ages. The service will focus on prevention and education to make it easier for people, especially those at higher risk of poor sexual health outcomes, to get the information and support they need on their sexual and reproductive health.”