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Promoting excellence in the prevention and management of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections
 
 
 
 
   
Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health
This site tells you about our work with health professionals and policy-makers and provides links to a wide range of other useful sources of information. Find out more about us.

  What’s new

Standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Picture of Standards for the management of STIs
Standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) published in January 2010, are designed to support the commissioning and provision of high quality care for STIs across all settings.
These standards were produced by MedFASH for and with the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and they have been formally endorsed by a number of Royal Colleges and professional associations. A leaflet for service users about the Standards is also available.
Click here for more information about the standards and to download the resources.

Latest! From 26 April 2010, a poster about the standards is available for display in clinic waiting rooms and other public settings.

Tackling HIV testing: increasing detection and diagnosis
This resource pack, produced to help increase rates of HIV diagnosis in hospitals, contains educational slide sets, template documents and background information. It will assist HIV specialists who wish to support their colleagues in other specialties to offer HIV testing more routinely in their daily practice. The resource pack was launched at the British HIV Association (BHIVA) Autumn Conference (8-9 October 2009) and is now available to download from the Tackling HIV Testing section of our website.

SHout Loud (Sexual Health Out Loud): www.shoutloud.org.uk
SHout Loud is a website helping local people and organisations have a say about sexual health, contraceptive and HIV services in England. This is a collaborative project between the six leading sexual health national charities AHPN, Brook, fpa, MedFASH, National AIDS Trust (NAT) and Terrence Higgins Trust (THT). Click here for more information or visit www.shoutloud.org.uk.

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Introductory Certificate in Sexual Health
MedFASH, working with the RCGP, has developed the Introductory Certificate in Sexual Health, which is appropriate for GPs, Practice Nurses and other practitioners working in general practice at all stages in their careers. For more information about the course and future training dates please check the RCGP website.

Conference: More progress, same priorities? Review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV and beyond - the challenges of implementation
This national conference, organised by Conventus with MedFASH, was held on 10 September 2009 and provided a unique opportunity to learn more about the Government response to our review of the national sexual health and HIV strategy, and to explore the practicalities of implementing the recommendations in our report of the review, (see below). For more information and to download the speaker presentations please click here.

London sexual health needs assessment & service mapping
MedFASH, in partnership with the London Health Observatory (LHO) and Health Protection Agency (HPA) managed the first sexual health needs assessment and service mapping across London. To download the reports, or for more information on this project, click here.

Picture of HIV for non-HIV specialist publicationHIV for non-HIV specialists
A third of HIV-related deaths are due to late diagnosis. MedFASH has developed a booklet for healthcare professionals in secondary care who are not HIV specialists, to help them improve their skills and confidence in diagnosing HIV. The booklet complements new national HIV testing guidelines (see below). Click here to download a copy of the booklet. For information on ordering copies, click here.

Progress and Priorities - working together for high quality sexual health. Review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV. The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV commissioned MedFASH to undertake a review of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV. The full report, Progress and priorities - working together for high quality sexual health, published in July 2008, can be downloaded by clicking here. To see the executive summary, click here.

UK National Guidelines for HIV testing 2008
New guidelines were developed by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and the British Infection Society (BIS) to facilitate an increase in HIV testing in all healthcare settings. MedFASH was a member of the writing group and jointly launched the guidelines with our HIV for non-HIV specialists booklet on 17 September 2008. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) issued a press release to mark the launch.

10 high impact changes for genitourinary medicine 48-hour access
Produced by the Department of Health's National Support Team for Sexual Health and MedFASH, this best practice guide provided measures that could be implemented quickly and on a scale that enabled 48-hour access to a local GUM service by March 2008. This document followed on from the guide 'Top tips' to support 48-hour GUM access which was produced by MedFASH with the Department of Health to support delivery of the 48-hour access target for GUM. Drawing on lessons learnt from the national review of GUM services, the 'Top tips' guide was circulated to SHA chief executives with a covering letter from Richard Gleave (Director of Performance, Department of Health).


  Other publications and activities

Here is a selection of some of our other publications and activities. For a fuller list please visit the Activities and Publications pages.

National review of Genito Urinary Medicine services
MedFASH managed this review commissioned by the Department of Health. The programme of multi-agency review visits was completed in May 2007, with over 85% of GUM clinics in England visited.

Criminal prosecution for HIV transmission
A BMJ editorial (30 September 2006) by Ruth Lowbury (MedFASH Executive Director) and Professor George Kinghorn argues that criminal prosecution for HIV transmission is a threat to public health.
A version of this editorial was also published in student BMJ (December 2006).
The December edition of the journal was devoted to HIV AIDS - 25 Years On.

Recommended standards for sexual health services published March 2005, with Department of Health endorsement, for providers and commissioners of all NHS-funded sexual health services. To order copies, click here.

Picture of HIV in Primary Care publicationHIV in primary care published December 2004 (revised April 2005). An essential guide to HIV for GPs, practice nurses and other members of the primary care team, recently recommended by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, in his September 2007 public health update Improving the detection and diagnosis of HIV in non-HIV specialties including primary care. Printed copies are still available and are free for GPs and primary care teams in England. For more information about the booklet, click here.

Recommended standards for NHS HIV services (published October 2003)
Endorsed by the Department of Health, the British HIV Association and the National Association of NHS Providers of AIDS Care and Treatment. Relevant for a range of providers as well as commissioners, service users and those involved in performance management.

 

Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health is a charity supported by the British Medical Association

If you can't find what you are looking for on this site please check our extensive links section

Previously known as the BMA Foundation for Aids, we adopted the new name Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health in April 2002, to reflect our role and remit more accurately.

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