First 2019 issue of the Sexual Health, Reproductive Health & HIV Policy e-Bulletin is out today

The January 2019 issue covers FSRH’s updated guidelines on combined hormonal contraception and the first ever standards for online and remote providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) services jointly published by FSRH and The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH). The issue also highlights the sector responses to the launch of the NHS long term plan. This month’s eFeature presents a new resource to support teachers in secondary schools with relationships and sex education (RSE) lessons on abortion care.

The month of January has been dominated by the release of the NHS Long Term Plan which sets out the Government’s ambitions for the NHS over the next ten years. The NHS Long Term-Plan focuses on prevention and recognises the NHS can take important action to complement the key role of local government. This includes a specific commitment to look at whether there is a ‘stronger role’ for the NHS in commissioning public health funded services closely linked to NHS care, including sexual health services, school nursing and health visiting.

Other items to look out for in this month’s issue include: new joint FSRH and BASHH standards for online and remote providers of SRH services; updated FSRH clinical guidelines on combined hormonal contraception; new RCOG, FSRH and BSACP clinical guidelines for Early Medical Abortion at Home (England); updated BASHH guidance for the management of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae; consultation on proposed changes to the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF); PHE’s annual HIV report for 2018 demonstrating the significant progress that has been made to date in tackling the HIV epidemic in the UK; the announcement of a new Government goal to eradicate HIV transmission in England by 2030 and a recent blog by the Kings Fund tracking local authority spending on sexual health services over the last four years.

In this month’s eFeature, Dr Asha Kasliwal, President of the FSRH, and Professor Lesley Regan, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), launch a new educational resource on abortion and abortion care to support RSE lessons in secondary schools.

Read the January 2019 issue here. If you would like to receive the next issues directly in your e-mail inbox, please subscribe.

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