Community assets and services
North Tyneside council commissions an integrated sexual health service from Northumbria NHS Foundation trust. The service operates a ‘hub and spoke’ model. There is one central hub with two out-reach and weekend centres.
The service provides clear, accessible, and up-to-date information in a range of formats available about services providing contraception and sexual health services for the whole population, including preventative information targeted at those at highest risk of sexual ill health.
The service supports delivery against the five main sexual public health outcome framework measures:
- Under 18 contraception
- Chlamydia detection rate
- New STIs diagnosis (excluding chlamydia under 25s)
- Prescribing of long-acting reversible contraception excluding injections (females ages 15-44)
- People presenting with HIV at a late stage
Pharmacy services providing emergency contraception are commissioned by Northumbria Healthcare directly.
There are a range of community and voluntary services that have signed up independently to join the c-card and STI screening. Evidence for Interventions
Evidence
Prevention is central to achieving good sexual health outcomes and entails changes that reduce the risk of poor sexual health outcomes and activities that encourage healthy behaviours. Education, condom use, diagnosis and treatment are key interventions for their prevention and control.
Open access to SHSs (in person or online) that provide rapid treatment and partner notification can reduce the risk of STI complications and infection spread. It is important that local and national services for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of STIs are available to the general population, but target groups with greater sexual health needs.
International evidence is clear that comprehensive relationships and sex education (RSE) protects young people from STIs and unplanned pregnancy, as well as some of the behaviours that make them more at risk, including non-consensual sex.