Services Database Community Pharmacy Sexual Health Service (Bristol Area)

Service Description

Community pharmacies offering this sexual health service will provide the following services to young people aged 24 and under:

• To give advice on contraception, sexual health and sexually transmitted infections.
• To provide free emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) via patient group direction (PGD) and referral to Unity for an emergency copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD).
• To provide free condoms to young people aged 13-24 (inclusive) with a condom card (C-Card).
• To offer free chlamydia screening kits to females only
• To provide free chlamydia treatment via patient group direction (PGD) to those referred by the Unity Chlamydia Screening Office.
• To signpost to services that provide all methods of contraception and management of sexually transmitted infections.

Pharmacists involved in the provision of the service to the public must attend a Bristol City Council sexual health training session, as well as undertake the CPPE Emergency Hormonal Contraception training.  It is recommended that pharmacists should attend a sexual health refresher training once every two years.
Bristol City Council also recommend the completion of the following self learning packages as additional resources (although their completion is not compulsory):

• CPPE: Sexual health: testing and treating open learning programme
• CPPE: Contraception open learning pack
• CPPE: Dealing with difficult discussions open learning programme

All pharmacy staff involved in provision of this service must also have attained Level 2 Safeguarding Children training, either by completing the on-line CPPE safeguarding children package, or previously attended a PCT safeguarding children training session.  This training will need to be re-accredited every three years.  The 4YP training course ‘Effectively Engaging and Communicating with Young People. Delivered by: Loudmouth Education and Training Through Theatre’ is also recommended for all staff delivering this service and can be booked through the professionals section of the 4YP website.