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You are in: Staying Healthy > Sexual Health > Local Initiatives
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Staying Healthy
Sexual Health
Local Initiatives
The YorSexualHealth website has now launched, providing lots of
information on sexual health and the specialist free and confidential
sexual health services provided across North Yorkshire and York.
Information is available on STIs, contraception, including emergency
contraception, Chlamydia screening, HIV testing, where to get tested and
contact details, opening times of family planning clinics. Check the
website at
www.yorsexualhealth.org.uk.
Whitby
Teenage Pregnancy Scoping Report
NHS North Yorkshire and York, National Social Marketing Centre and Yorkshire and the Humber Public Health Observatory.
In April 2009 the reduction of teenage pregnancy in Whitby was selected as the Beacon Social Marketing Partnership Project in the Yorkshire and Humber region (funded by the Department of Health to establish good practice for PCTs in partnership working across organisations). Yorkshire and the Humber have been early adopters of the key principle of social marketing – putting the consumer at the heart of decision making and using insight to develop and deliver the right services to the right people at the right time.
Teenage pregnancy in Whitby is high, but not the highest in the region. Previous work had revealed a potential gap in services and education around sexual health in Whitby, but also a willingness and enthusiasm to tackle the issue from many organisations. This presented an ideal opportunity to work with a number of organisations to develop a project that would not only meet the partnership criteria set by the Department of Health, but greatly benefit one of our communities.
The aim of the Whitby Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy Project is to reduce the number of conceptions in girls aged under 18 in Whitby and surrounding school catchment areas, and in November 2009 The Hub, a specialist social marketing agency was appointed to work with the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory to deliver the scoping phase of this project, and provide recommendations for programme development.
The key objectives for this phase of the overall project were to:
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Review existing objectives and refine target audience to include those most likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour, and key stakeholders such as provider services.
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Develop insight into opportunities and barriers for improving uptake of preventative measures and service delivery in the area.
The project has resulted in learning for all parties and will not only be used to inform future provision of services in Whitby, but the wider findings will be incorporated into future work in the region. The research and data gathered can now be accessed by all PCTs through the Public Health Observatory.
The development and implementation of this project will now be taken forward by NHS North Yorkshire and York and the full report can be accessed here.
Contraception campaign pushes LARC methods
Younger
women are being encouraged to consider Long Acting Reversible
Contraception or LARC as part of a new sexual health campaign launched
by NHS North Yorkshire and York and City of York Council’s Young
People’s Service.
LARC methods protect against pregnancy as an alternative to the contraceptive pill. They offer the same level of protection against pregnancy that the pill does (over 99%) but the key advantages are that they don’t need to be taken every day and can last for anything from eight weeks to 10 years before reapplication.
Click here for more information about LARC methods.
Access to free morning after pill (emergency hormonal contraception)
If you are a female aged between 14 and 24 and worried that you’ve had unprotected sex, did you know you can get free access to the morning after pill?
There are over 70 pharmacies across North Yorkshire and York which can dispense emergency oral contraception, also known as “the morning after pill”, free of charge and without a prescription.
Click here to see a list of participating pharmacies.
If you just want to have a chat about contraception and get some advice, you can call the following helpline number free on 0800 28 29 30 or visit NHS Choices – Sex, Worth Talking About.
You can also discuss sexual health matters confidentially with your GP or at a local sexual health clinic.
Chlamydia is the most common STI in the UK – about 1 in 14 sexually active young people who are tested have Chlamydia. In Yorkshire and the Humber region, 211 men and 246 women per 100,000 have tested positive. Most people have no signs or symptoms and don’t know they’ve got it, and if left untreated it can cause long-term complications.
Chlamydia affects anyone who is, or has been sexual active. The test is a simple urine test or self taken swab and treatment is free. Screening tests are available by contacting Yorscreen on 01904 725440.
The latest Yorscreen Chlamydia Newsletter is available here.
Teenage Pregnancy
North Yorkshire and York teenage pregnancy co-ordinators offer a programme to support pregnant teenagers and teenage parents. This includes targeted work in high conception rate areas and with hard to reach groups and young people at risk of early pregnancy, for example care leavers, young offenders. They promote effective sex and relationships education through schools, and the use of long acting reversible contraception.
A range of training is available including:
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basic sexual health awareness
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delaying early sex (a programme supporting young people to delay early sexual activity)
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Speakeasy, a course to give parents and carers the confidence to talk to their children about sex and relationship issues
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sexual exploitation and sexually active young people
YorBabe is an antenatal programme for young mums and dads to be, with programmes to support pregnant teenagers including information on housing and benefits, return to education and training, as well as practical advice on looking after baby. For more information contact Denise Robson on 07961 483 687 or 01904 725440.
York Young People's Service (01904 555400 - www.yor-ok.org.uk/youngpeople) and North Yorkshire 4Youth (www.gimi.co.uk) services offer sexual health and relationships education in informal settings providing ‘Drop Ins’ offering condoms, pregnancy testing, Chlamydia screening and sign posting.
YPSHOT (Young People’s Sexual Health Outreach Team) and the School Health Nurses offer drop ins at most secondary schools and colleges to ensure quick and easy access to sexual health services. Mystery shoppers ensure that services remain young people friendly.
For more information contact the Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators, Amanda Gaines (York) 01904 554337 or Carly Walker (North Yorkshire) 01609 536910.
Condom Distribution Scheme
Condoms are available free of charge for young people through a range of outlets. If you are not already signed up to the Condom Distribution Scheme contact Jacqui Fox on 01756 701765.
Young people’s contraception and sexual health provision in North Yorkshire - Review Report, June 2010
In January 2010, the North Yorkshire Children’s Trust Board commissioned Gosford Consultancy and Coaching, to support partners in reviewing contraception services for young people living in the North Yorkshire County Council area.
A wide range of professionals from contraception and sexual health services, commissioning, public health intelligence, young people’s participation, and the local teenage pregnancy co-ordinator were involved. The primary focus of the report was on contraception services for under 25’s provided by:
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Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
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North Yorkshire and York Community and Mental Health Services
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York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The aim was to ensure that the review focused on the key important services in relation to contraception and teenage pregnancy, whilst acknowledging that there is a broader range of sexual health advice and promotion services in the county, which could be focused on by undertaking a more comprehensive sexual health needs assessment at a later date.
City of York Contraceptive Services Review
In July 2010 a review of contraceptive services within York UA was carried out at the request of NHS North Yorkshire and York. This review covered the areas not previously covered by the North Yorkshire review.
The purpose of the review is to ascertain whether current commissioned services are provided in places where they are most needed and what would be the key priority areas/services for any new investment.
The review goes on to make recommendations for action.
