Agenda item

Resolved: the Committee resolved to refer its views to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

James Lee (SGM, Prevention, Inclusion and Public Health Commissioning), Alison White (Lead Nurse, Women’s and Sexual Health, LGT) and Catherine Moniz (Matron, Sexual and Reproductive Health, LGT) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

5.1       Officers outlined the proposed changes to the opening hours of the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) service provided by Lewisham and Greenwich Trust (LGT), as set out in detail in the agenda papers.

5.2       The SRH service is currently stretched and clinics often reach capacity before their stated closing time. Consolidating service provision would allow the clinics to be staffed with enough people with the right skill mix.

5.3       The changes are intended to maximise clinical time and increase access. If the Sydenham service is removed, more comprehensive services will be offered elsewhere.

5.4       Commissioners are satisfied that the proposed changes will improve clinical outcomes and are happy for the changes to proceed with staff consultation. It is better to have fully staffed clinics open all the time. It cuts out the confusion with different opening hours on different sites.

5.5       There is no trial period for the proposed changes, as any impact would take a long time to notice, but they would nonetheless be kept under constant review. A delay in service change to carry out a public consultation would not be a justifiable use of resources.

5.5       A survey was carried out over four weeks with young people attending the Sydenham and Downham outreach sites. 57 people were surveyed, which likely represented all service users over the four weeks the survey ran.

5.6       The proposed changes will be communicated using posters and various websites (including those targeted specifically at young people). The overall Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth sexual health strategy will include a communications and engagement strategy.

5.7       The committee raised a number of questions and concerns about how the changes would be communicated to service users. The committee queried whether there would be any communications targeted at young women and girls, given their greater representation among service users.

5.8       A committee member raised concerns that there had not been a longer more extensive consultation process with service users and people in the area. The committee member put a motion to the committee that the proposal should be deferred until a more extensive consultation has been conducted. However, the committee noted that it is important that the proposals are taken forward quickly and that a long public consultation would cause significant delay. The committee also noted the importance of communicating the changes effectively and following up to assess their impact.

5.9       The committee noted that data on sexual orientation in the Equality Impact Assessment did not appear to follow the NHS standard, using the word “homosexual”.

Resolved: the Committee resolved to refer its views to the Health and Wellbeing Board:

The committee notes the proposed changes to the opening hours of the Sexual and Reproductive Health service and appreciates the importance of making the changes without unnecessary delay. However, during discussions on the proposals, members of the committee expressed a number of queries and concerns about how service users would be made aware of the changes, if agreed, particularly those service users who may currently consider attending the outreach service at the Sydenham Green Group Practice, which would no longer be available following the proposed changes. The Committee therefore seeks further information about the plans for communication and engagement with service users in order to be reassured that the changes will be communicated as effectively as possible and avoid any negative impact on access to sexual and reproductive health services among service users.