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As part of our Make Every Contact Count and Wellbeing programme, we are pleased to announce this month’s initiative is “Sexual Health“.
The scale of the problem
- Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs) have increased by 2 per cent year-on-year in London from 116,692 in 2014 to 118,774 in 2015.
- One in every four STIs diagnosed in England is in London.
Crystal Palace Physiotherapy Group provides services in a number of London borough, including Bromley and Lambeth.
- In 2012, Bromley had the second lowest number of STI rates in London, with Bexley having the lowest.
- In stark contrast, Lambeth has the highest with almost 3,000 per 100,000.
The Solution
If you suspect that you have contracted a STI, please speak to your GP or attend your local sexual health clinic. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out guidance on one to one interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and under 18 conception.
Full guidance can be found here.
NICE have set out the following key recommendation:
Who is the target population?
Key groups at risk of STIs including:
- men who have sex with men
- people who have come from or who have visited areas of high HIV prevalence.
Behaviours that increase the risk of STIs include:
- misuse of alcohol and/or substances
- early onset of sexual activity
- unprotected sex and frequent change of and/or multiple sexual partners.
Who should take action?
Health professionals working in:
- general practice
- genito-urinary medicine (GUM)
- community health services (including community contraceptive services)
- voluntary and community organisations
- school clinics.
What action should they take?
- Identify individuals at high risk of STIs using their sexual history. Opportunities for risk assessment may arise during consultations on contraception, pregnancy or abortion, and when carrying out a cervical smear test, offering an STI test or providing travel immunisation. Risk assessment could also be carried out during routine care or when a new patient registers.
- Have one to one structured discussions with individuals at high risk of STIs (if trained in sexual health), or arrange for these discussions to take place with a trained practitioner.
Additional useful information
Lambeth Council – Sexual Health and HIV
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Hospital – Sexual Health Clinics
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