Background
This is the third of our regular monthly update briefings about this project, set up to work in partnership to deliver a new commissioning model for open access sexual health services across much of the capital, including Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) (services for the screening and treatment of Sexually Transmitted infections (STIs) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRH) (community contraceptive services).
More details about the history of the project, and previous editions of this briefing, are available on the West London Alliance website http://www.wla.london
The Case for Change
With the continued squeeze on public sector finances, and specifically public health budgets, the case for change remains high up the agenda. The aim of the transformation project is to design, agree and procure a system that will deliver measurably improved and cost effective public health outcomes, meet increasing demand and deliver better value.
There are five main drivers behind the change programme:
- The need for sexual health services in London is significantly higher than the England average, and has risen significantly in recent years.
- There are noticeable variations in access and activity across London boroughs, with high numbers of residents from across London accessing services in central London.
- Given London’s complex pattern of open access services, there are important advantages for London boroughs to transform and commission services together
- We must continue to ensure strong clinical governance, safeguarding and quality assurance arrangements are in place for commissioning open access services
- We want to respond to current and future financial challenges, and ensure we are making the best use of resources available
More Councils Join the Transformation Project
There are two distinct strands to the work of the LSHTP:
- The first relates to the development of new pan-London services including an online single point of access for home based testing and a new partner notification service, which will be procured once for the councils participating in the programme.
- The second strand covers the reconfiguration of core GUM and SRH services, which is now underway at a sub-regional level.
A number of additional Local Authorities have joined the programme over the last two months, bringing the total up to 29 London councils. These new councils have joined in order to explore the new pan-London service opportunities and not with the intention at this time to reconfigure their own core clinical services on a sub-regional basis (though some may have local pieces of work underway). Stakeholders that are unclear as to the terms on which their Local Authority has joined should seek clarity from their.
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