About LSHP
1. Improving Performance
The London Sexual Health Programme (LSHP) supported London PCTs to achieve 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.
The LSHP supported PCTs and Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics (GUMs) to maintain 48hr GUM access target- including support with DH National Support Team visits to Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Sutton and Merton, Haringey and Enfield PCTs.
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.
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.
2. Improving 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. This 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.
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.
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.
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.
Three new sub-groups were formalised within the London Sexual Health Commissioning Board (LSHCB):
1) A Contraception and Abortion sub-group engages clinical, voluntary sector and commissioning stakeholders to provide leadership to oversee the projects funded by DH monies to NHS London and take forward the recommendations to reduce inequitable access to services outlined in Sex and Our City report. It also assures delivery of the development of the tariff for integrated Sexual Health services. The LSHP's work in this area has been endorsed as a PbR improvement project by the DH PbR team and NHS London.
2) The London Havens Strategic Board that oversees the commissioning and delivery of the 3 Sexual Assault Referral Centres at King's College, Barts and the London and Imperial/St Mary's Hospitals, are a new sub-group of the LSHCB. This is a unique commissioning partnership between the PCTs in London and the Metropolitan Police. It is noted as an example of best practice by the DH and Home Office.
3) Finally, the LSHCB's newest sub-group on Sexual Health Planning for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, brings together NHS, Local Government, voluntary and private sector, DH and Strategic Health Authorities to develop the National Sexual Health Commissioning Plan for the 2012 Games.