Provision of an Integrated Sexual Health Service

Warrington Borough Council and Halton Borough Council would like to jointly procure an Integrated Sexual Health Service for the residents of the two local authority areas. Our vision is to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of the people living in Warrington and Halton.

We aim to do this by commissioning an innovative sexual health service which responds to a changing environment of sexual health and relationship needs. The service will aim to build an open culture where everyone is able to make informed and responsible choices about relationships and sex.

The service will take the lead in reducing health inequalities and improving sexual health outcomes. The service will play a key role in delivering both preventative and treatment interventions that will allow people to make informed decisions about relationships, sex and sexual health, building personal resilience and promoting healthy choices.

The service will aim to improve sexual health by delivering a range of interventions across the life course, with a focus on community based preventative services that will reduce the demand on specialist services. The service will provide open and easy access to evidence-based, cost-effective, high quality contraception and prevention services as well as the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections.

The service will deliver both clinic based activity and outreach, and will identify targeted locations and convenient times to ensure that high risk groups are supported to achieve good sexual health. The service will ensure that it provides equitable access to services across the geography of both Warrington and Halton. The Service will support service delivery against the three, main sexual health Public Health Outcome Framework measures: • Under 18 yrs. conceptions • Chlamydia detection (15-24 yrs.) • People presenting with HIV at a late stage of infection In addition, it will deliver the following outcomes to improve the sexual health in the local population as a whole with all work based on local needs assessments to recognise risk changes in the population: • Early diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and prevention of onwards transmission, including providing Chlamydia screening for 15 to 24 year olds and early identification of HIV • Reducing unintended/unplanned pregnancies • Prompt access to psychosexual therapies • Reducing health inequalities The service will provide the following core elements as a minimum: o Self-management and care support o Provision of sexual health promotion, information and advice o Basic and intermediate care (level 1 & 2) Sexual Health Services o Complex (level 3) Sexual Health Services o A digital offer, through which service users can access appointments, order testing kits or condoms and receive information and advice All applications will be made via www.the-chest.org.uk