Standards
for the management of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs)
We have
produced new Standards for the
management of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) to support the
commissioning and provision of high
quality care for STIs across all settings.
With increasing numbers
of primary and community healthcare
providers playing a role, alongside
GUM clinics, in the management of
STIs, these standards bring together
for the first time the key elements
of best practice that people seeking
help in relation to STIs are entitled
to expect, whichever service they
choose to attend. The effective management
of STIs, as specified in the standards,
will improve health outcomes for individuals,
protect the broader public health
and contain costs to the NHS.
Your guide to the
Standards for the management of sexually
transmitted infections (STIs),
a leaflet for service users outlining
what the standards mean for them,
is also available in pdf form to be
printed out locally and displayed
in clinics and other relevant venues.
The standards were
produced by MedFASH for the British
Association for Sexual Health and
HIV (BASHH). The Department of Health,
PCT commissioners and a range of healthcare
representatives were actively involved
in their development, and the standards
are formally endorsed by the leading
relevant professional bodies
(the Royal College
of Physicians, the Royal College of
General Practitioners, the Royal College
of Nursing, the Health Protection
Agency, the Faculty of Sexual and
Reproductive Healthcare, the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain,
the Society of Sexual Health Advisers
and the Genito-Urinary Nurses Association).
The standards have
been launched in January 2010. You
can download:
London
sexual health needs assessment and service
mapping
MedFASH has managed
the first sexual health needs assessment
and service mapping for London, in
partnership with the London Health
Observatory (LHO) and Health Protection
Agency (HPA).
The following project
reports were published online by MedFASH
(November 2008). Click on the report
title to download
MedFASH
has developed a resource to support
healthcare professionals working in
secondary care who are not HIV specialists
in identifying and addressing factors
which can hinder access to and effective
provision of HIV testing and care.
Click here
to download a copy of this publication.
To order copies, click here.
Progress
and priorities - working together for high
quality sexaul health
The Independent
Advisory Group on Sexual Health and
HIV commissioned MedFASH to undertake
a review of the National Strategy
for Sexual Health and HIV. To see
the full report, click here.
To see the executive summary, click
here.
10
High Impact Changes for Genitourinary Medicine
48-hour Access
We were
commissioned by the Department of
Health to organise an expert reference
group, collate feedback, comments
and case studies from this group,
and draft a practical guide for the
Department of Health to refine and
publish (December 2006). The 10
High Impact Changes best practice
guide provides measures that can
be implemented quickly and on a scale
that will enable 48-hour access to
a local GUM service by March 2008.
Review
of primary care trust local delivery plans
2005-2008
Joint
report by Brook, fpa, Medical Foundation
for AIDS & Sexual Health, National
AIDS Trust and Terrence Higgins Trust.
Published January 2006.
This report of an
audit of 44 primary care trust (PCT)
local delivery plans (LDPs) from across
England suggests an alarming lack
of NHS planning to improve sexual
health. Despite the introduction of
specific targets to tackle poor sexual
health, up to half of PCTs in this
sample failed to mention plans to
improve some key areas. There was
only limited evidence of plans for
service redesign and improvement,
and only a third mentioned targeted
planned investment in sexual health,
despite the Government's additional
local funding for 2006/7 and 2007/8.
The report recommends the establishment
of sexual health improvement as a
top tier priority for the NHS.
Commissioned
and endorsed by the Department of
Health. Published March 2005.
A key tool to support
local delivery of commitments in the
public health White Paper and the
National strategy for sexual health
and HIV, these Recommended
standards for sexual health services
cover 10 aspects of service provision,
including guidance on service networks.
Recommendations for detecting and
managing sexually transmitted infections,
contraceptive advice and provision,
pregnancy testing and support, and
abortion service provision are complemented
by others on cross-cutting topics
such as sexual health promotion, empowering
and involving people who use services,
identifying sexual health needs, access
to services and the protection and
use of sexual health information.
Each standard offers an evidence-guided
rationale, key interventions, implications
for service planning, guidance on
practice, and suggested audit indicators.
For providers, commissioners,
performance managers and service users,
the recommended standards
are relevant to all settings providing
NHS-funded sexual health services,
including general practice, hospital
and community-based clinics, pharmacies,
and organisations in the voluntary
and independent sectors.
An essential
guide to HIV for GPs, practice nurses
and other members of the primary care
team.
By Dr Sara Madge, Dr Philippa Matthews,
Dr Surinder Singh and Dr Nick Theobald.
This 92-page, full-colour
booklet provides essential information
for GPs and the primary healthcare
team on the clinical diagnosis of
HIV (with photos); how to offer an
HIV test and give results; the side-effects
of antiretroviral therapy and how
to complement specialist care; primary
healthcare for people with HIV, including
reproductive health and immunisation;
and practice policies and systems
for optimal patient care and protection
of staff.
Written by GPs, HIV
in primary care is instructive, practical
and easy to use with a detailed contents
list and comprehensive index. Published
December 2004 (revised April 2005).
Printed copies are
available free on request to GPs and
primary care teams in England - click
here to order. Also available
as a downloadable
pdf file.
Recommended
standards for NHS HIV services
Endorsed
by the Department of Health, the British
HIV Association and the National Association
of NHS Providers of AIDS Care and
Treatment
A cornerstone
of the National Strategy for Sexual
Health and HIV, the new Recommended
standards for NHS HIV services
cover 12 aspects of service provision
for people with HIV and offer guidance
on managed service networks. Each
standard offers an evidence-based
rationale, key interventions, implications
for service planning, guidance on
practice, and suggested audit indicators.
Reading lists for supporting evidence,
policy documents and professional
guidelines are appended. The recommended
standards will serve as a tool for
planning and auditing service development,
a framework for commissioning and
a resource for partnership between
service users and providers. The House
of Commons Health Select Committee
has recommended their use by strategic
health authorities in the performance
management of trusts.
