About the London Sexual Health Programme
The London Sexual Health Programme is funded by London's 31 PCTs to improve the sexual health of Londoners through leading and strengthening Sexual Health Commissioning.
Projects to improve Sexual Health
Chlamydia screening- London is top performing Region in England
The London Sexual Health Programme (LSHP) continues to support London PCTs who achieved 18.1% overall Chlamydia screening coverage in 2008-09, the highest screening coverage in England and major improvement from 2008-07 screening coverage of 4.9%. Although this was based on 15 PCTs achieving (or over-) the target and still 16 PCTs did not meet the target.
Improving Sexual Health and access to Gentiourinary medicine services
The LSHP supported PCTs and Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics (GUMs) to maintain 48hr GUM access target- including support with DH National Sexual Health Support Team visits to Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Sutton and Merton, Haringey and Enfield PCTs.
Improving HIV prevention in London- with a unique performance target
The LSHP supported PCTs to achieve the London HIV prevention performance target with commissioning best practice and learning sets so that over 60% achieved their trajectories.
Reducing teenage pregnancy
The LSHP and Government Offices of London Teenage Pregnancy Unit worked jointly to reduce under-18 conception rate and improve sexual health of young people in region. London having highest abortion rate at 27 per 1000 women aged 15-44 in 2008-09 as well as highest repeat abortion rate 31% aged under-25 and 19% aged-under19, LSHP created a working group to improve contraception provision and tackle high abortion rate.
News
Channel 4: The Sex Education Show
Series 3 of this innovative programme continues its roadshow across Britain educating teenagers and a wider audience about sex and challenging several sexual taboos. With live interactive sessions and frank discussions the team answer intimate questions which are not normally addressed in the current curriculum. The series will be shown on Channel 4 at 9.00pm July 5th-8th 2010.
More information can be found on the Sexperience website.
Tariff Work
The London Sexual Health programme was successful in getting £66k from the Department of Health sexual health policy team for development of the tariff work. The London work is now designated by the PbR team as a project whose work is to be used to advise National roll-out and four sites out of London are being identified by DH to shadow the tariffs to advise local implementation.
Going All the Way. Improving Sexual Health in Young People- unique work in Further Education (FE) Colleges
We are pleased to announce the launch of the first London Sexual Health Mapping and Needs Assessment of Further Education Colleges on 21 July 2009 at the House of Lords. The report will be available on line after the launch.
This work is funded by Department of Health monies to NHS London and aims to recommend commissioning priorities to support the reduction of teenage conceptions and increase uptake of access to contraception, including long acting reversible contraception.
Reports available here:
Fifth Annual London Sexual Health Forum, 13 November 2009.
Our annual stakeholder engagement seminar brought together over 80 stakeholders in Sexual Health in London.
Please find presentations from the day below.
London Sexual Health- Achievements and Challenges - Hong Tan, London Sexual Health Programme Director, with Dr Ali Kubba, Lead Clinician, Lambeth PCT SRH/Integrated Sexual Health Service
Key policy issues for Teenage Pregnancy and Sexual Health - Gill Frances, Chair, Independent Advisory Group for Teenage Pregnancy
Improving Sexual Health outcomes: Role of Performance in NHS London - Jeremy Burden, Deputy Director of Performance, NHS London
What does the future hold for Sexual Health? - Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive, Terence Higgins Trust
What does the future hold for Sexual Health? - Wendy Majeska, Senior Health Adviser/Clinical Services Manager, St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
‘Going all the Way’: Sexual Health and Further Education colleges - Mike Bell, Director, Michael Bell Associates
Improving Chlamydia screening in London - Dr Paula Baraitser, Medical Adviser, National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP)
London Sexual Health Tariffs- Update - Bella Grant, Director, Pathway Analytics
Patient and Public Engagement in Sexual Health services - Prof Nicky Robinson, Thames Valley University
Questionnaire
Afternoon workgroups sought comment on London-wide priorities for Sexual Health to advise the London Sexual Health Commissinoing Board and sexual health priorities for the upcoming year :
- Promoting Patient and Public Engagement in Sexual Health
- Sexual Health services in Further Education Colleges
- Sexual Health tariffs in London
- Improving Chlamydia Screening in London
- Vision and Consistency in London Sexual Health Service Models
Commissioning
Supporting World Class Commissioning of Sexual Health services- "Sex and Our City" report
London's first Sexual Health Service Mapping and Needs Assessment, "Sex and Our City", published in 2008 This is a vital tool to support all engaged in commissioning.
The LSHP levered in the Department of Health funding of £150,000 for "Sex and Our City", London's first Sexual Health Needs Assessment and Service Mapping which supports PCTs to develop and update their Joint Strategic Needs Assessment to support Sexual Health strategic planning and commissioning priorities. It is the most comprehensive analysis of Sexual Health needs and services in London. This is available on the London Health Observatory Website ( www.lho.org.uk ) with a web-access portal where profiles of Borough needs can be viewed. The report was launched by Baroness Gould, Chair of the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, in December 2008 at House of Lords. Baroness Gould also kindly hosted the launch of the London commissioning guidelines on abortion at the House of Lords. The guidelines were supported as best practice by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist group on Abortion.
Strengthening Sexual Health Commissioning
The LSHP led the commissioning of learning sets to develop London-wide best practice approaches GUM Payment by Result (PbR) implementation (multi-professional tariff guidance), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV following Sexual Exposure (PEPSE) clinical regimen and tariff, de-hosting approaches. London-wide specifications on GUM, contraceptive services and abortion services were also developed by the LSHP.
Commissioning Toolkit on HIV prevention
The 2009-10 London HIV prevention performance target- progress and commissioning toolkit was developed by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the LSHP for London Primary Care Trusts to improve achievement of the target for 09-10. Also, the London performance target work is showcased by the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS as unique and best practice at House of Commons to all SHAs in England. It is also highlighted in the Independent Advisory Group's Review of the National Sexual Health and HIV strategy.
Increasing access and uptake of contraception
The LSHP co-ordinated London's commissioning of the £1.3 million of DH allocation to NHS London to increase access to contraception. A stakeholder engagement seminar in July led to priorities for London-wide commissioning and over 20 innovative projects were funded. These included training for Primary Care, access to free condoms for all young Londoners, pilots that gave access to oral contraception in pharmacies and peer education targeting teenage parents.
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