About the FSRH Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU)

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Clinical Effectiveness Unit (FSRH CEU) was formed to support the FSRH Clinical Effectiveness Committee and to promote evidence based clinical practice. It is fully funded by the FSRH.

The FSRH CEU has been based at Chalmers Centre in Edinburgh since January 2015. The FSRH CEU is overseen by FSRH Clinical Effectiveness Committee and is Directed by Dr Sarah Hardman.

FSRH CEU Workstreams

There are four main workstreams to the work of the FSRH CEU:

  • Evidence-based guidance 
  • Member´s evidence request service
  • National Benchmarking Audit
  • Reviewing clinical content of output from FSRH and partner organisations

In addition to the four main workstreams, the FSRH CEU also provides research and clinical support to the FSRH.

Evidence-based clinical guidance

The FSRH CEU produces a range of evidence-based clinical guidance documents including NICE-accredited FSRH Clinical Guidelines, the UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (UKMEC), FSRH Clinical Statements and new product reviews

Member’s Evidence Request - Supporting Clinical Practice

The FSRH CEU provides an evidence request service for FSRH members. The FSRH CEU response will summarise the available evidence and guidance in relation to use of contraception by a woman with a particular medical condition. Clinicians should use the evidence identified to inform their own clinical decision-making. Note that FSRH CEU clinicians do not give expert advice or opinion in individual cases; such cases should be discussed with your local specialist contraceptive lead.

Current Members can log in to My FSRH to view existing requests and answers and to make a new evidence request as part of their membership benefits. After logging in, click on 'Members' evidence request' to see the full database of questions and answers. You can search by keyword.

National Benchmarking Audit

The FSRH CEU leads on the FSRH National Benchmarking Audits. The aim of the FSRH National Benchmarking Audit is to provide an electronic tool, as a members’ benefit, to support individual members to audit the sexual and reproductive services they offer. It is primarily focused on primary care but is also reproducible in specialist services and voluntary agencies.

Reviewing clinical content from other organisations

The FSRH CEU is funded through membership fees and there is limit to what support we can offer to other organisations who use our guideline content. Below are different types of content and where we are able to help and where we unfortunately cannot:

 

FSRH CEU Involvement?

Type of review request

FSRH CEU involvement, or not

Yes

Inputting into third party clinical guidelines

The FSRH CEU reviews some third party guidelines (eg RCOG, NICE) to ensure that clinical content accurately reflects available evidence and is in line with FSRH guidance. 

No

Reviewing information for consumers

We do not work with any organisations who produce consumer information on sexual and reproductive healthcare aside from the fpa. 

No

Reviewing clinical content of mobile apps, toolkits etc

Unfortunately the FSRH CEU doesn’t have capacity to review the content of independently developed mobile apps, toolkits or documents.

Endorsing/promoting third party apps, toolkits etc


We do not have an endorsement process for third party information, apps or toolkits etc. We can on some occasions share content from others through our communication channels. Please contact Sarah Upali, Marketing Manager with information about what are you looking to promote.

 

FSRH Rights and Permissions Policy

Reproducing or translating FSRH copyrighted material

All FSRH materials, including but not limited to clinical standards, guidelines, UK MEC, published statements, eLearning resources and electronic documents published by the FSRH are copyright protected. Depending on the nature of a request to reproduce or translate FSRH copyrighted materials, a fee may be charged.

Using FSRH materials in a clinical setting

Please note there is no restriction on our materials for the purposes listed below.

  • To support and inform your day-to-day clinical work
  • For personal use for revision for exams or study purposes, or to show to patients in a clinical setting

Use of FSRH materials for other purposes

If you wish to reproduce or translate FSRH copyrighted materials to present at an event, use in a publication or to support the delivery of study courses in the form of printed or digital course materials, you must seek copyright approval from us beforehand. If you are a commercial organisation benefiting financially from using FSRH materials, a charge for use may apply.

Requesting permission

To request permission to reproduce or translate FSRH copyrighted materials, please complete a request form.

Please note that upon receipt of full information required to make assess the request, you should normally receive a decision within 10 working days.

Use of the FSRH logo by third parties

The FSRH logo is the intellectual property of the FSRH. There is strict control on use of the FSRH logo by third parties.

Permission to use the logo is only provided for FSRH business or where the FSRH has participated in an event, publication or collaborative activity, or where use of the logo is specifically agreed in advance and a licence has been issued.

To request permission to use the FSRH logo, or for more information, please email support@fsrh.org.

Enquiries about use of FSRH copyrighted materials

For general enquiries regarding requests to use FSRH copyrighted materials, please contact support@fsrh.org.

FSRH CEU Team

Chelsea Morroni Co Director
Chelsea Morroni is an epidemiologist and a specialty doctor in SRH. Over the course of her career, Chelsea has worked in all aspects of SRH (policy, programming, clinical, research and advocacy) in the UK, the US and Southern and Eastern Africa. She is an international expert in academic SRH and SRH research, with vast experience of developing regional, national and international guideline development, including working with the World Health Organisation.
In the CEU Chelsea will be leading on guideline development.
Chelsea can be contacted at chelsea.morroni@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Katie Boog Co Director
Katie Boog is a consultant in Community Sexual and Reproductive Health. Her special interests include medical education, complex contraception and STIs, and she is particularly interested in making guidance accessible and relatable to clinicians. She has extensive experience in producing and delivering SRH educational activities at both local and national level in a wide variety of formats.
In the CEU Katie will be leading on guidance dissemination and guidance related education.
Katie can be contacted on Katie.Boog@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Sarah Hardman Co Director
Sarah is a Specialty Doctor in SRH and lead for the menopause service. Her special interests include complex contraception and menopause care.
Sarah has been Director or Deputy Director of the CEU team since 2015. From August 2021, she will work as Co Director of the new CEU, leading on responsive guidance and liaison with FSRH and other partner organisations.
Sarah can be contacted at Sarah.hardman@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Claire Nicol Deputy Director
Claire began her career as a midwife, before moving into SRH 14 years ago and she currently works as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in SRH. Her special interests are in complex contraception and SRH education and she has extensive experience in teaching and training at both postgraduate and undergraduate level, across many clinical disciplines.
Claire worked for the previous CEU team, and has been appointed as Deputy Director of the new CEU, leading on nursing and midwifery engagement & education and quality assurance of clinical content of educational and guidance products.
Claire can be contacted at Claire.Nicol@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Eric Chen Senior Non Medical Researcher
As well as being an enthusiastic zumba instructor, Eric is an Honorary Fellow with the University of Edinburgh where he graduated with his PhD in Sociology, MSc in Public Health Research and a BSc in Reproductive Biology. He worked as a researcher for the previous CEU and is our new senior non-medical researcher.
Eric has the responsibility for conducting systematic literature reviews to identify and synthesise evidence for clinical guidelines and member’s evidence requests.
Eric can be contacted at Eric.Chen@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk or on +44(0) 131 536 3830.

Catherine Carver Medical Researcher
Cat has worked as a junior doctor, but also holds a BA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge, a Master of Public Health from Harvard and is working towards a PhD focused on health technology assessment at the University of Edinburgh. She has held a variety of public health positions, including at the Wellcome Trust and LSHTM.
She has expertise in literature reviews and evidence synthesis, having led rapid reviews for the CEBM in Oxford, authored a book on immunology and worked as a scientific writer for the Scottish Government's COVID-19 Advisory Group. At the CEU she works on clinical guidelines and member’s evidence requests.
Cat can be contacted at CEU.chalmers@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Helen Carrington Project Administrator
Helen worked as project administrator for the previous CEU and has stayed on in this role with the new CEU. She has responsibility for administration in the CEU office organises and facilitates all CEU meetings, manages the CEU team’s diary; she logs member evidence requests and sends responses.
Helen records all streams of the CEUs work in spreadsheets and produces and updates the GANNT charts to help the CEU keep on track for Clinical Guideline development deadlines.
She helps to coordinate work with our guideline development groups and liaises with FSRH Office staff.
Helen can be contacted at Helen.Carrington-Rie@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk or on +44(0)131 536 3831

Contact details of the CEU

FSRH Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU)
Chalmers Centre
2a Chalmers Street
Edinburgh EH3 9ES

Email: CEU.Chalmers@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

You can also contact the CEU via the contact us form