London Sexual Health Programme

This page presents a collection of websites providing information about or services in sexual health.

• London Sexual Health Programme www.londonsexualhealth.org
• Royal College of General Practitioners www.rcgp.org.uk
• National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence. Guidance on Long-acting Reversible Contraception www.nice.org.uk/CG030
• SWISH – so what is sexual health? SWISH provides information about sex, sexual health, and relationships for people living or working in Brighton & Hove. www.swish.org.uk
• Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The Faculty grants diplomas, certificates, fellowships and equivalent recognition of specialist knowledge and skills in sexual and reproductive health care. www.ffprhc.org.uk
• London Deanery is responsible for postgraduate medical and dental training in London. London Deanery aims to improve the quality of patient care by ensuring the supply of doctors and dentists who are educated, trained and motivated to play their part in a first class modern health service. www.londondeanery.ac.uk
• London General Practice Resources – a resource site for GPs, Practice Managers, Nurses, and Extended Primary Care Teams. www.londongpresources.nhs.uk
• FPA works to make sexual health a priority public health issue in the UK. FPA educates and informs thousands of people about sexual health each year and campaign to improve sexual health services. www.fpa.org.uk
• The Wolverton Centre for Sexual Health, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. www.sexualhealthkingston.co.uk
• London Society for Contraception & Sexual Health – London-based society providing educational opportunities in an informal setting for Health Professionals in Contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health. www.lsfpp.org.uk
• Talk Choice is a website developed and maintained by MSD. It aims to inform and educate women about the full range of contraceptive options available to them. Our aim is that, along with their healthcare professionals, women are able to choose a suitable method that works with their body and lifestyle. www.talkchoice.co.uk

Keep abreast of London LARC Network activities through our newsletters and other relevant publications and research available below.

 Newsletters from the London LARC Network

• Newsletter 1
• Newsletter 2
• Newsletter 3

Reports

LARC Nurses Survey

The LLN conducted an online survey of training needs for nurses related to LARC. 243 responses were received; 77% of these were from nurses working in general practice. In terms of LARC service offered in the respondents’ main place of work, 99% offered Depo Provera, 67% offered sub-dermal implant (SDI) insertion and 78% offered IUD/IUS insertion. Of the services offering LARC, almost all had nurses trained to administer Depo but only 40% of these services had nurses trained to insert SDIs and 23% IUD/IUS. Less than 30% of services offered in-house training for SDI and IUD/IUS insertion and only 20% of services offered training for nurses from other organisations. Most striking was the range of approaches for accreditation, with the highest proportion of nurses being accredited in-house. 

From the free-text comments received, a number of issues and needs were identified:

• There is a need to offer training for nurses to deliver LARC – a number of services were only offering medical staff the training.
• There was a strong call for the RCN to reduce its accreditation fees - “I would like to see the RCN reassess their accreditation fees so it isn’t prohibitively expensive”
• There was suggestion to include LARC in existing contraception courses offered by higher education institutions – “perhaps this could be an extension of the family planning course already offered.”
• A number of services are developing in-house standards and accreditation processes – there was a call for a pan-London agreement.
• Some nurses are completing LARC training in their own time and at their own expense – “GPs to release nurses to be trained rather than doing it in their own time.”
• There is a call for more training sites and nurse trainers – “let nurses become trainers.”
• Regular updates sessions were requested by many nurses.

To find out more, please review the survey summary provided here.

• The summary of findings from a London-wide nurses training survey

 
LLN Baseline Needs Assessment Key Findings

In order to define the objectives and structure of the LLN at the start, consultation took place with 39 key stakeholders from across London, representing contraception and sexual health services, general practice, abortion providers and commissioners. Stakeholders identified a range of barriers to uptake of LARC including lack of awareness, training, accreditation processes, access, commissioning, and data. Suggestions for overcoming barriers were discussed at length and a number of those have been taken up by the LLN. The LLN continues to review its progress and will strategically plan in the first instance through March 2012.

• London LARC Network baseline report which informed the development of London LARC Network's workplans and objectives