Sexual Health Week 2020
South Tyneside Sexual Health: The importance of regular testing and Condom use
This week marks National Sexual Health Week across England.
The Sexual Health team continuously campaign to promote, normalise and encourage regular testing and condom use.
Latest data provided from Public Health England highlights an increase of STI diagnosis made across England.
- In 2019, there were 468,342 diagnoses of STIs made in England, a 5% increase since 2018
- There were 70,936 diagnoses of gonorrhoea reported in 2019, a 26% increase since 2018 and the largest annual number on record
- There were 7,982 diagnoses of syphilis reported in 2019, a 10% increase since 2018
- There were 149 diagnoses of first episode genital warts in 15 to 17 year old girls in 2019, a 23% decrease relative to 2018, and 90 diagnoses of first episode genital warts in same aged heterosexual boys, an 11% decrease relative to 2018
- The impact of STIs remains greatest in young heterosexuals 15 to 24 years; black ethnic minorities; and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM)
The impact of STIs remains greatest in young heterosexuals aged 15 to 24 years, black ethnic minorities, and MSM community.
South Tyneside Sexual Health support a number of initiatives to address this inequality in poor sexual health.
Effective implementation of online platforms ensured access to Condoms and STI Testing have been made available across South Tyneside to address inequalities within these populations.
South Tyneside Sexual Health strive to ensure patients have equal availability & continuous access to home condom & STI testing kits through these difficult and unprecedented times.
The service are responsive to the changing need of the population and in light of COVID-19, launched an online condom & testing platform for South Tyneside residents.
The new digital online home testing kit, offers screening for infections such as HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia & Gonorrhoea and is available to order 24 hours a day from the South Tyneside Sexual Health website.
This online offer is a quick way to test, very discreet and is completely confidential, delivered straight to the specified address when completing the online demographic form.
The home testing kits are delivered in a plain packaged envelope’s by Royal Mail meaning NHS will not appear on the outside of the envelope.
Kits are sent by standard post meaning that no signature is required and will fit through a standard letter box.
The home test involves providing a blood sample (if a person chooses to be tested for HIV & Syphilis) or a urine or swab sample for Chlamydia & Gonorrhoea testing.
Home testing kits are delivered complete with instruction’s, a freepost return envelope and are posted back to us by standard Royal Mail
This online test offer is available for both male and female’s over the age of 16+
Please visit our Sexual Health website to order www.southtynesidesexualhealth.nhs.uk
Patients requesting home delivery of condom kits: These can also be ordered direct from our website above and delivered in plain packaged envelopes
To order condom kits direct: Please visit https://www.stsft.nhs.uk/services/sexual-health-services/request-condom-pack