West Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust – increasing uptake of sexual health services
West Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust – increasing uptake of sexual health services
Following a service redesign, West Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust asked us to conduct in-depth research with their target audiences to help them provide effective services to the groups which need them most. They also asked us to create and test a visual branding, to be used as part of a social marketing campaign.
Uptake of sexual health services was particularly low among the BME community, gay men, and young people from deprived parts of the area. Our research focused on these groups, using a mixture of large-scales surveys, facilitated discussion groups and paired interviews (separate for men and women).
We found that location of sexual health services and worried about discretion were key barriers to using services for all groups. The majority of people did not believe that services were always completely confidential – gay men often used services in Brighton as they felt that gave more privacy. There were also important cultural barriers for some BME residents.
As such, we recommended that the Trust developed a common message, used by all partners, on confidentiality of sexual health services – and that key stakeholders were encouraged to act as advocates for new services and new messages. Alongside this, we recommended greater use of localised ‘outreach’ services for vulnerable groups, including more use of pharmacies.