Agenda item

Shenna Paynter, Public Health Programme Lead to provide an update. Report and presentation attached.

Shenna Paynter, Public Health Programme Lead gave a presentation on the inequalities in sexual and reproductive health in Bury. A report and a PowerPoint presentation were included in the agenda pack.

Key issues were highlighted in terms of HIV, reproductive health and sexual transmitted infections (STI’s). It was explained that Bury is a high HIV prevalence area, HIV is concentrated among men who have sex with men and black African men and women. In terms of reproductive health, it was explained that poor reproductive health outcomes are more likely in women who may already be experiencing disadvantage. The impacts of STI’s remain greatest in young people aged 15 to 24 years old and in certain minority ethnic groups, and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

The commissioning arrangements were explained. There has been a new contract and re-branding of Virgin Care (now known as HCRG Care Group). The new contract will begin in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale on 1^st April 2022 and it will be a 5-year developmental contract working with local residents to reduce inequalities. Early Break will be supporting young people with assertive outreach, offering services such as ‘clinic in a backpack’. 

A member suggested using GP data to send a general text to people regarding testing for Chlamydia, to try to reduce rates in Bury.

A member explained that sexual health and reproductive health services were fragmented post 2013, when commissioning responsibilities  were split over three key groups of organisations. Work has been done to help organise and embed capacity for sexual health within primary care.

In response to a member’s question around interacting with schools, it was explained that work with schools needs strengthening. Pre-pandemic links with schools were good.

It was agreed:

1. A Bury Sexual Health Strategy (including Reproductive Health and HIV) is to be developed and co-produced with multi organisational stakeholders, this must link to the Greater Manchester strategic plan and the new national strategy. A range of representatives from populations most at risk of poor sexual health are to be engaged in the development and delivery of this strategy to improve sexual health and in the development and evaluation of local services.
2. Primary Care to pull together a HIV multi-partner task group to undertake a stocktake for Bury against each of the objectives in the Towards Zero Plan and identify local actions.
3. Primary Care to support HCRG to develop an equitable, accessible, high quality LARC offer through PCNs/GP fed, and beyond LARC to include wider women’s health services. Primary Care to facilitate provider relationships.
4. Once strategic manager is in post, PH provide support to HCRG to convene a multi organisational partnership board to mobilise and develop the new contract.
5. The local system and partnership board should use robust population health data, SHNA and service data to identify inequalities in access and uptake of services across the local system, and to maximise effectiveness of resources. Inequalities must be a standing agenda item.
6. The delivery of targeted work to address inequalities in sexual health, reproductive health and HIV, with a focus on key populations and appropriately targeted services to meet their needs should be evaluated, and outcomes should feed into partnership group.
7. Consideration given to using the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum Toolkit to assess the need for smarter commissioning and development of women’s health hubs.
8. Consider commissioning MASH (Manchester Action on Street Health) with the cluster commissioners, and sexual health provider HCRG, to target women working in the sex industry who are at risk of sexual ill health.
9. Shenna Paynter to explore using GP’s lists to reach more people regarding Chlamydia testing.
10. Shenna Paynter to strengthen sexual health links within schools.