Award Winning, BASHH endorsed, Co-Produced Films to Strengthen Partner Notification and STI Testing.
Dr Melvina Woode Owusu, on behalf of the LUSTRUM2 team and our co-producers.
STI diagnoses remain high across the UK, with 364,750 diagnoses in England in 2024 and similarly elevated trends in Scotland. Partner notification (PN) therefore remains essential for preventing reinfection and reducing onward transmission.
Yet findings from the LUSTRUM trial of Accelerated Partner Therapy highlighted a persistent challenge: only half of notified sex partners returned samples for testing, even when access was streamlined. Many partners need clearer and more relatable support at the moment of notification.
LUSTRUM2 (2023–2025) focused on addressing this by creating short films to encourage and support sex partners of people with bacterial STIs to take up a full sexual health screen, including HIV testing.
Two films were co-produced with young people, and a third film was developed through structured consultation to support a broader general audience.
Why films, and why co-production?
Co-production recognises that communities bring expertise grounded in lived experience. In LUSTRUM2, co-producers shaped narratives, tone, emotional framing, and visual scenarios. Their perspectives ensured that the films reflected the realities of how young people — across different backgrounds — respond to STI exposure and to the idea of testing.
Co-producers highlighted the need to:
- Acknowledge fear, anxiety, and stigma surrounding PN
- Normalise experiences (“STIs are common”)
- Ensure culturally nuanced communication for Black Caribbean young people
- Ground messages in everyday situations and relational contexts
These insights were used alongside findings from the literature, the LUSTRUM study and expertise from our clinical team to shape the films storylines and ensure they were accurate as well as engaging and relatable.
The Three Films
1. Film made with and for Diverse Young People
Developed with a diverse group of young co-producers, this film:
- Normalises the experience of receiving an exposure notification
- Encourages agency through the message “Take care of your own health”
- Uses familiar settings and scenarios reflecting the range of reactions co-producers described
2. Film made with and for Young People of Black Caribbean Heritage
Co-producers in this group emphasised:
- The emotional impact of exposure, including shame, fear, and worry about results
- The need to support young people in reconciling negative emotions
- The importance of emphasising that “testing prevents passing STIs back and forth”
- A culturally specific approach that felt authentic to their experiences
3. Film made for a General Audience (Consultation-Style)
The third film forms part of the wider digital intervention suite and serves as a digital version of a clinic information leaflet. Its messaging aligns directly with information typically offered during clinical consultations, so it was developed through consultation rather than co-production.
Input came from:
- Six public contributors of older ages
- Seven healthcare professionals, including Sexual Health Advisers and other clinicians
They shaped elements such as:
- The use of diverse animated characters
- Supporting graphics to communicate key information clearly and concisely
- Ensuring the film remained accurate, practical, and engaging
What co-production taught us
Several recurring themes emerged across the project:
- Shared decision-making produces content that feels relevant and grounded
- Cultural sensitivity requires meaningful partnership, not surface-level consultation
- Lived experience shaped not just the storytelling but the emotional clarity of the films
- Interventions designed with communities are more likely to address inequalities effectively
If we want interventions that work for everyone — and reduce inequalities — we must design with everyone from the start.
We must also make sure the films are available and easy to use in clinical settings.
A Toolkit designed with and for Healthcare Professionals
LUSTRUM2 developed an Implementation Toolkit outlining how the films could be incorporated into PN pathways.
The films could be used:
- In clinic waiting rooms and on clinic websites
- In text messages to index patients
- In provider referral messages to partners
- Within online postal self-sampling pathways
This gives you the practical, flexible options to strengthen PN and support partners at the exact moment they need clarity and reassurance.
BASHH has endorsed the films for use in routine PN practice and use of the toolkit to support this.
How to find the films and toolkit
The LUSTRUM2 suite — three films and the Clinical Implementation Toolkit — offers a practical resource to support PN, improve testing uptake, and provide clear, relatable communication at a crucial moment in partners’ decision-making.
We are delighted that this work has been recognised by the award of the 2025 BMA Foundation MEDFASH prize for Sexual Health & HIV care and we thank all those who have taken part in any way to make the LUSTRUM2 project possible including all our co-producers, public and healthcare professionals, UCL’s Co-Production Collective, our Advisory Group members, our sponsor Noclor at CNWL, funder NIHR and of course, BASHH for endorsing the films and toolkit.