York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new sexual health service for people within the North Yorkshire region.
According to the trust, the service aims to enhance the county’s pre-existing sexual health service – YorSexualHealth – to provide ‘more developed’ online help for people across North Yorkshire, and to offer a more ‘bespoke’ and ‘targeted’ approach for people with the greatest needs.
The service follows a partnership arrangement North Yorkshire County Council and the trust as part of the National Health Service Act for a period of up to ten years.
The new arrangements of the service include:
- An online system where people can book appointments, get test results and find out what treatment they need.
- A full contraception service, where appropriate those aged over 19 will be directed to their GP for longer-term continuation.
- Professionals with different roles will work more closely to improve access for those in high-risk groups, such as drug and alcohol users and sex workers.
- An improved training offer for frontline sexual health professionals.
- Integration between counselling and HIV support services to provide a more co-ordinated service for people living with HIV and their carers.
- Continuation of a telephone triage system manned by highly skilled clinical staff – which will ensure that people get to the right part of the service
- Further development of the existing online offer, with more services available remotely dependant on risk including:
Louise Wallace, Director of Public Health for North Yorkshire, said of the new service: “This partnership to deliver Yorsexualhealth services removes the need to re-tender every two to three years and provides consistency and a fully collaborative approach.
“The existing service, which has been delivered on the council’s behalf by the Trust for the last seven years, has an excellent track record. It is well respected and delivered to the highest standards.
“The new arrangements take into account how people have adapted their use of the service during the Covid-19 pandemic and will help to meet the needs of the community in North Yorkshire.”
