Sexual Health Week 2023
Date: 08 Sep 2023
Type: FSRH News and Information
This year’s Sexual Health Week theme is ‘playing it safe', which promotes the delivery of safe, accessible sexual health services wherever people need them; and the right to high-quality education to empower people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
To support this year’s theme, we’ve listed a variety of resources, activities, and campaign work, both for you and for you to share with your patients. Read on to find out how you can join the conversation and show your support for Sexual Health Week 2023.
Resources
Resources for clinicians:
- UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (UKMEC) The UK MEC helps clinicians decide what contraceptives they can safely recommend based on the medical conditions of patients in their care.
- FSRH Guidelines and Statements National Clinical Guidance produced by the FSRH Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU). The CEU is accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
- FSRH Clinical Standards Service Standards produced by the FSRH Clinical Standards Committee.
- SRH On-Demand If you are looking to refresh your knowledge, our suite of SRH On-Demand learning options enable you to train or upskill in key areas, at your own pace, on your own terms, at a time convenient to you.
Resources for patients:
- Contraception Choices The Contraception Choices website provides information to help weigh up the pros and cons of each contraception method to empower individuals to make informed choices.
- Sexwise Factual information about STIs, contraception, pregnancy, and pleasure
- Brook Factual information of each method of contraception based on FSRH recommendations
- Brook Find a service tool
- The Lowdown Myth Buster Blogs
Advocacy
Hatfield Vision
The FSRH Hatfield Vision sets out 16 goals to tackle reproductive health disparities, including:
Access and standards of contraceptive care
- Integrated Care Systems (ICS), local authorities and providers promote the fulfilment of SRH rights including offering women and girls the full range of contraceptive methods in the location of their choosing, with quick access to local general practice and specialist services when needed.
- Enhanced access to contraceptive care, addressing the needs of all those who are the least well-served, with a particular focus on populations that experience the worst inequalities.
Access to information
- Information is easily available to support women and girls in making decisions about their own reproductive health, regardless of age, ethnicity, language, disability, postcode, socioeconomic status, levels of literacy or religious belief.
Find out more about our flagship campaign and learn how you can get involved.
FSRH Position Statements
We believe that all young people have the right to high-quality SRH and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to help them make informed decisions about contraceptive methods and current and future relationships. Importantly, we believe that young people should feel empowered to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health.
Read our Position Statement on Young People
You can find all our position statements here.
Have your say
Write to your MP
We have launched a ‘Writing to your MP Guide and Template’ designed to assist individuals in writing to their MP to talk about their own experiences of accessing contraception. We are hoping it will lead to more conversation amongst decision makers and ultimately better strategy, enhanced resource, and greater funding for SRH.
Spread the word
If you want to advocate for improved access to reproductive healthcare, you can download our social media cards and spread the word, using our hashtag #FSRH_HatfieldVision.
Want to promote safer sex and shout about Sexual Health Week 2023 on social media? Explore Brook’s #SHW23 social toolkit.