Issue - meetings

Report of Corporate Director for People

Councillor Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, introduced the report.

Roz Howie, Programme Director for Public Health, presented the report and stated the following:

(i)  the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines sexual health as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence;

(ii)  sexual health is an important area of public health. Most of the adult population of England are sexually active and access to quality sexual health services improves the health and wellbeing of both individuals and populations. The government in 2013 set out its ambitions for improving sexual health in its publication, a framework for sexual health improvement in England. In December 2021, the government published an action plan towards ending HIV transmission, AIDS and HIV-related deaths in England 2022 to 2025. The government is committed to improving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in England, including access to SRH services, and will set out plans to do so.

(iii)  sexual health is not equally distributed within the population. Strong links exist between deprivation and STIs, teenage conceptions and abortions, with the highest burden borne by women, men who have sex with men (MSM), trans community, young people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Similarly, HIV infection in the UK disproportionately affects gay, bisexual and other MSM, and black African populations. Some groups at higher risk of poor sexual health face stigma and discrimination, which can influence their ability to access services. Despite the increased provision of remote and online services improving access for some, it should be recognised that some will be excluded or may be disadvantaged by these approaches (2020 data on internet access revealed 5% of the adult population of Great Britain had not used the internet in the last 3 months and 16% of the population does not use a smartphone for private use).

(iv)  offering a mixture of face-to-faceand online servicesis required to meet the needs of different population groups. Services and modes of delivery should be designed to meet the needs of local populations and work to reduce inequalities in both access and health outcomes;

(v)  the consequences of poor sexual health are preventable and include unplanned pregnancies, infections including HIV, cervical and other genital cancers, pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, psychological consequences, stigma, and poorer educational, social, and economic opportunities. There are notable inequalities in access and outcomes in relation to SRH which must be addressed if meaningful improvements in population outcomes are to be achieved;

(vi)  from April 2013, Local Authorities have been responsible for commissioning specialist integrated sexual health services (ISHs) including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the provision of HIV Prophylaxis (PrEP) and provision of the full range of contraception advice  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70