People who use sexual health services in England and Wales should be offered an appointment within 48 hours, receive results of all tests within 14 days and be offered free condoms whenever they attend a clinic, say professional bodies concerned with sexual health in new standards published this week.
People who initially receive treatment outside a genitourinary medicine clinic should always be told that free treatment for any diagnosed condition is available through the NHS genitourinary clinic, without the need to pay prescription charges.
Standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were launched on January 21st by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, the professional body for those working in sexual health care, and the Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health, a charity which promotes quality health care through policy work.
A number of recent government initiatives have sought to give consumers more information about the minimum standards of service they can expect from the NHS, but according to Rosie Gagnon, Chair of the HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners Group for England, “sexual health is atypical in that the general public does not really know what to expect from the service.”
“These standards seek to address this through identifying the clinical standards and ensuring meaningful public and service user engagement, as well as enabling commissioners in delivering against those expectations and measuring outcomes," she said.
The standards bring together existing guidance, and are endorsed by a wide range of professional groups including the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Nursing and General Practice, the Society of Sexual Health Advisers and the Health Protection Agency.
Other key standards include the right:
- to have your care managed by trained and competent staff
- to receive confidential, non-judgemental advice
- to be offered, as a minimum, tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis
- to have the most accurate tests for the infections you are being checked for
- to receive your results, negative or positive, within 14 working days
- to be referred to another service quickly and easily, if necessary
- to receive your care from high quality STI services that are safe, well-managed and accountable
Detailed information about the standards is available from the MedFASH website.