Issue - meetings

Report CS18143

The Board considered an update on sexual health services, including progress by the London Sexual Health Programme.

The Local Authority funded a range of mandated open access sexual health services including Genito-Urinary Medicine.  Collaboration on both a London and sub-regional basis had achieved lower unit price and marginal rates for these services, with the Local Authority being part of the South East London sub-region.  As demand for sexual health services continued to increase further collaborative work had been undertaken, leading to the establishment of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme which developed and implemented a set of tariffs known as Integrated Sexual Health Tariffs for London to support the provision of integrated Genito-Urinary Medicine and Contraception services.  The London Sexual Health Transformation Programme ended in March 2017, with its programme activities transitioned to a new team being hosted by the City of London Corporation.  The Local Authority continued to engage with the South East London sub-region in implementing the new London tariffs locally, and in preparing for a new London online service to be launched across South East London in July 2018.  The Local Authority also had a range of provision in place to manage Sexually Transmitted Infections and contain costs including the provision of contraception and reproductive health services outside Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics which was a unique model within London and, when coupled with the General Practice and community pharmacist offer, had supported a continued decline in teenage conception rates.

The Director: Public Health was pleased to note the success of the London-wide programme which had been delivered collaboratively by the Public Health services of 31 London Boroughs.  The introduction of the new London online service was considered to be a major step towards modernising Genito-Urinary Medicine provision in London and was expected to have a high uptake as an alternative offer to clinic attendance.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.