October-December | 2018 lagship sexual health service F opens its doors in Basildon A brand new sexual health clinic is coming to Basildon town centre, offering a range of services previously unavailable in the area. The Essex Sexual Health Service-run clinic has moved into Southgate House, a four-storey office block on the south side of the Town Square – the main shopping area within the pedestrian section of Basildon town centre. Thanks to the new service, local people will no longer have to travel to Orsett, Southend and Chelmsford to access sexual health testing, treatment, contraception, and general sexual health advice, counselling and support. The clinic opened its doors for appointments in June, offering a scaled down service of what will eventually be available, when they have finished recruiting later this year.
Town centre location gets the thumbs up Specialist Nurse and Team Lead, Alpa Day is really excited to be providing this new service in the centre of town. As the Integrated Sexual Health Team Lead for ESHS in this part of the county, she is passionate about delivering safe, effective and easily accessible sexual health services. Alpa says: “In its history, Basildon has never had a fully functioning sexual health service like this – it has had satellite clinics running from different places, providing a limited amount of services. “So we are really excited to be opening a clinic, just steps away from the shops. The great feature of this is that it is absolutely bang-central for people.” David Burton-Sampson, councillor for St Martin’s ward (which includes Basildon town centre and the area surrounding it), is equally delighted with the new clinic. David said: “Services such as this are so important. To have a facility like this in the town centre is a huge bonus. It’s not just about the medical interventions which will be on offer, which are essential, but also the advice and the support services that are available at the clinic.
“It is great to have a town centre clinic where the local population, particularly young people and other vulnerable groups, can go for sexual health advice, counselling and support. To have those services right in the heart of Basildon is absolutely fantastic. Senior Nurses Samuel Hand and Alpa Day
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“To me, this whole clinic is massively welcome. And I am really pleased it is there and available for the people of Basildon.”
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October-December | 2018 Creating a welcoming environment ESHS received planning permission for the new venture in 2017 and spent the first six months of 2018 renovating the 246 square metre space, a former solicitor’s office, on the second floor of Southgate House. The new clinic has a modern and welcoming reception and waiting area, and four consulting rooms, as well as a meeting room which is already being put to use by ESHS partners Brook and the Terrence Higgins Trust.
Developing the new service There are currently two senior sexual health nurses in post, with a sexual health specialist nurse position in the process of being filled – and two additional nurse vacancies. The clinic is currently open three days a week, from 9am to 8pm on Monday and Tuesday, and from midday to 8pm on a Wednesday. From November they will also be open on Thursday mornings, from 9am to midday, with longer term plans to open on a Friday and Saturday. Alpa says: “As of November, we will be running as a Level 3 service, providing a more comprehensive range of STI treatment – including symptomatic screening, so anyone with symptoms can come to the clinic. Doctors will be involved in the diagnosis and treatment of more complex sexual health matters, including people with syphilis and genital dermatology.” Early response to the clinic has been very positive. Alpa explains:
“It was important to us that we got the design right – we wanted to move away from that exclusively clinical, hospital-look. Inside, the rooms are associated with oceans, with a backdrop feature wall of a seascape. “The feedback we have had so far has been really positive; that it is a calming, non-judgemental and welcoming clinic. People like the fact that it is brand new. And, most importantly, that they feel comfortable when they come into the clinic.”
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When it is fully operational the clinic will provide: Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs) eC-Card Scheme (free condoms for young people) Chlamydia screening Pregnancy tests A range of contraception Emergency contraception/morning after pill General sexual health advice, counselling and support To book your appointment at Southgate House, please contact the Intelligence Centre on 0300 003 1212.
If you are a health professional interested in working at Southgate House or elsewhere in the Essex Sexual Health Service, please contact Provide at provide.enquiries@nhs.net
itting back at syphilis H Essex Sexual Health Service (ESHS) has launched an initiative to tackle a nationally reported increase in syphilis, following figures issued by Public Health England. The Public Health England report, released in July, shows that cases of sexually transmitted syphilis increased by 20% from 2016 to 2017. And have more than doubled since 2008. ESHS has been quick to respond to the news, upping the ante to tackle syphilis outbreaks among men who have sex with men (MSM) – a group at high risk of contracting syphilis.
Health promotion, detection and treatment Kez Spelman, Clinical Contract Manager for ESHS, explains: “When we heard about this increase we went straight to the Terrence Higgins Trust (one of the partners of our sexual health service) to see what more could be done to work with MSM here in Essex. “THT were already offering point of care HIV tests in their outreach work with gay, bisexual, and other MSM. Within
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October-December | 2018 weeks of the report coming out we were able to add a syphilis test to that.” Syphilis and HIV instant rapid testing is now included as standard in the outreach work that THT do with MSM. And, crucially a pathway has been established to bring people back into the sexual health service for additional testing and treatment, should they receive a reactive result to the indicative finger prick test. Anyone with a reactive result for either the syphilis or the HIV test is referred into one of the main clinics within the Essex Sexual Health Service, with an appointment at a clinic of their choice within 24-48 hours.
Reaching out to high risk groups Sophie Milner, who leads the Essex THT team, is delighted to be able to offer instant rapid syphilis testing as part of their crucial health promotion and detection outreach work, with MSM.
Sophie Milner, Essex THT lead
Sophie says: “Many people are not thinking about getting an HIV or syphilis test. In fact, people are often quite surprised when we way that syphilis is back on the rise and it is something that needs to be at the front of people’s minds if they are having unprotected sex.
“We have a regular presence at various MSM services across the county, including various LGBT groups and other established MSM meeting places. “We are now able to offer dual testing to people accessing these services, to aid early detection and treatment – and to avoid the possibility of people unknowingly passing it on to their partners.”
A few facts about syphilis Syphilis has been on the rise for the past decade in England, with more cases last year than in any year since 1949. Syphilis incidences rose by 20% from 5,955 reported cases in 2016 to 7,137 in 2017.
THT rapid testing in Essex
Syphilis, like other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), is transmitted through sexual activity including oral sex. Men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by STIs accounting for 78% of all cases of syphilis diagnosed last year. Symptoms include sores around the genitals and mouth; a rash on the hands and feet; tiredness; headaches and joint pain; and a high temperature. Most cases of syphilis are treatable with antibiotics and it is preventable through safe sex practices which include using condoms, regularly being tested and avoiding overlapping sexual relationships. Left untreated, syphilis can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular problems, central nervous disease, and increased vulnerability to HIV.
Clinics offering dual rapid testing to MSM: Chelmsford: Suite 429, CM1 1T – on the last Friday of every month (1-5pm) Harlow: Citizens Advice Centre, CM20 1HP – every Monday (12-4pm) Pitsea: The Place Leisure Centre, SS13 3DU – every Wednesday (5.30-8.30pm) No appointment is needed for these outreach clinics. When clients arrive, they can say there are there to see Sophie rather than having to disclose they are there to visit a sexual health service. Further information about these and other testing options for MSM are available by calling the Essex Sexual Health Service’s confidential Intelligence Centre on 0300 003 1212. Alternatively, you can request a self-sampling kit online at the Essex Sexual Health Service website. www.eshs.org.uk
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October-December | 2018 The eC-Card App is approaching
To be eligible for the scheme users must be aged 16 to 24 at the date of registration, live anywhere in Essex (Southend is not included in the scheme as it is a separate local authority area).
500+
Each user is required to view three short educational videos within the app and complete a multiple choice quiz to validate their understanding. Once registered, they can quickly locate a convenient venue where they will be asked to scan a unique QR code to confirm your request and pick up your condoms.
three months of use after being launched in July…
Registered users 120+ Active users 1800 Condoms collected 37 Venues visited Most popular venues in Grays, High Chelmer, Colchester, Ingatestone, Braintree Registered users 52% Female, 48% Male Average age of active user 18.5yr It allows 16 to 24-year-olds to access FREE condoms, using their smart phone to locate a convenient condom collection point from a choice of locations across Essex. Current venues include sexual health clinics and community pharmacies, with additional venues being added over the coming months.
For further information please visit the Essex Sexual Health Service website or contact the service intelligence centre on 0300 003 1212.
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It can be downloaded via Google Play or the Apple App Store – search for ‘eC-Card’.
Facts relevant as of Oct 2018.
A full range of sexual health services ESHS provides a free, confidential, non-judgemental service to the people of Essex regardless of sex, age, ethnic origin and sexual orientation. SERVICES OFFERED INCLUDE:
As lead provider for Essex Sexual Health Service, Provide CIC is proud to be working collaboratively with a number of other organisations to deliver sexual health services in Essex.
Testing, treatment and onward management of sexually transmitted infections ‘Test at Home’ online service for HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea Chlamydia screening Pregnancy and abortion support All forms of contraception Emergency contraception Deep implant removal General sex advice, counselling and support. This is provided in a number of ways, depending on the needs of the service user: information, advice and appointment booking via ESHS’s Intelligence Centre on 0300 003 1212, Test at Home, clinic attendance, or referral to other services.
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Essex Sexual Health Service is commissioned by:
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