HIV and Sexual Health Service in Surrey

Overview

NHS England, Surrey County Council, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) and Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ASPH) are committed to delivering a modern integrated sexual health and HIV service in Surrey.  

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust are the new provider of commissioned sexual health services in Surrey and began the delivery of services from 1 April 2017. Services include integrated sexual health services (contraception including long acting reversible contraception, and Level 1, 2 and 3 genitourinary medicine (GUM) services which includes sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment), clinical outreach, chlamydia and gonorrhoea screening for 15-24 year olds, HIV treatment and care for outpatients, sexual health and HIV treatment and care in Surrey prisons.

As part of a phased transfer of services, Virgin Care services transferred on the 31 March, Frimley Health services on 30 June and Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will transfer on 30 September.

There are three main clinics across the County where you can have all your sexual health and contraceptive needs met in one appointment (in Woking, Redhill and Guildford). Please note that Woking only offers limited STI screening at the moment. HIV clinical services will be based at Buryfields Clinic (Guildford) with a smaller service at Earnsdale Clinic (Redhill). There are regular community clinical outreach sessions in Leatherhead and Epsom and shortly will be in Runnymede and Spelthorne. These sessions are designed to support the wider community with health promotion information and advice about how to stay healthy and make healthy choices and also offer contraception.

The new service will offer the ability to:

• Book sexual health and HIV appointments online
• Decide where you want your HIV medication delivered, including to your own home or clinic collection
• Get HIV advice more easily and without attending a clinic; the pharmacy service will be open for longer hours and there will be an email to contact from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday for clinical questions that are non-urgent
• Book a virtual appointment for the HIV clinic if you do not want to travel (this will come later in the year) 
• For health professionals there will be a single number to contact the service for rapid access to HIV advice. This number goes directly to a consultant.

Later in the year a range of tools will be launched to help people manage their own sexual health. For instance, there will be home testing kits so that patients do not necessarily need to attend a clinic if they have no symptoms and just want a quick check for sexually transmitted infections.

CNWL sexual health service is rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. The Trust will maintain and build on its expertise, research and good practice in sexual health to improve the sexual health of residents in Surrey.

We have developed an online survey for service users of Blanche Heriot Unit and other interested parties to help us understand your concerns.

In addition to this survey we are hosting two face to face events on Wednesday 9 August: 6.30 - 8.00 pm, Room 3, Chertsey House, St Peter’s Hospital and Saturday 9 September: 10.30 am - 12.00 pm, Room 3, Chertsey House, St Peter’s Hospital. View a map and directions to Chertsey House.

We will also be hosting a webinar on 13 September from 12.00 pm till 1.30 pm for those unable to attend the two events described above. Register for this webinar here.

The purpose of these events is to allow patients to hear more about the new service and the reasons behind the change, as well as giving the opportunity for questions and wider discussion. These meeting are open to all patients, past and present, of the Blanche Heriot Unit.