The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. Abraham Lincoln |
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Queens Hospital, Sex Health Press Release
Improved Access to Sexual Health Clinics
New opening times have been announced for the GUM (Genito Urinary Medicine) clinics based at Burton Foundation Hospitals NHS Trust to improve access for clients.
Longer opening hours will see the clinics, based in the Delia Morris Centre at the hospital’s Outwoods site, off Belvedere Road, being available at the following times:
Monday – 9am to 7pm
Tuesday – 9am to 4.30pm
Wednesday – 9am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Thursday – 9am to 7pm
Friday - 9am to 4.30pm
Service Manager Shaun Brennan said: “These changes have been brought about following our patient’s survey results which recommended that we increase our opening hours to give them easier and quicker access to our services.
“We will be carefully monitoring this increase in hours to ensure its success but also to determine if we need to make any amendments in the light of experience.”
The GUM specialty is a multi disciplinary team made up of doctors, nurses, health advisor and support staff. It also works closely with specialist HIV nurse and the “Buddies” HIV support group.
The team is also developing Rapid HIV testing and offering a “quick test” non-invasive procedure for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
In the year 2009/10 the specialty saw over 7,000 patients, compared with the 2008/09 figure of 6,610.
Shaun said: “We can see from the increase in people using our services that the demand is there. Sexual health is an important issue and we take every opportunity to reassure people that sexual illnesses are treatable and that HIV is now manageable.
“Our services are completely confidential and impartial and I would urge people to come and talk to us if there is anything they are concerned about.”
The team also visits schools and colleges giving sexual health information through talks and teaching sessions and has worked alongside the police at weekends in Burton town centre as part of the Operation Vampire team where they talk directly to the public.
During the year the team has forged a partnership with Staffordshire County Council Youth Service Young Peoples Forum, SHAFT (Sexual Health Advisory Forum4Teens) which designed to help support young people manage their sexual health safely.
