Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2023-2030. Reducing sexual and reproductive health inequalities is our priority

Overview

Can you help us develop our sexual health services?

Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council would like your help to develop the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2023-2030.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD the Draft Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2023-2030 below.

We are holding a number of consultation events (online and in person) to give you the opportunity to be involved in this process.

The first event will be intitiated by the People for Public Services Forum, who would like to invite you to its online meeting on Tuesday 24^th May 2022 at 2pm – 3:30pm

Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council are in the process of developing a strategy for sexual health services. You are invited to join us to help shape this strategy.

Sexual health covers a wide range of areas, such as:

• unplanned pregnancies and abortions
• psychological consequences, including from sexual coercion and abuse
• poor educational, social and economic opportunities for teenage mothers, young fathers and their children
• HIV transmission
• cervical and other genital cancers
• hepatitis, chronic liver disease and liver cancer
• recurrent genital herpes
• recurrent genital warts
• pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies and infertility
• poorer maternity outcomes for mother and baby

You do not need to be a user of the sexual health service to have a view on how it should be provided in the future. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend.

If you are unable to book a place using Eventbrite, please do not hesitate to contact us via our email getinvolved@birmingham.gov.uk

If you can’t attend this time details of future arrangements will be posted on our webpage, which includes all details of all papers from previous meetings.                                                

Future events:

Thursday 16th June, 11am – 12:30pm, Via Microsoft Teams.

Thursday 30^th June, 11am – 12:30pm, Via Microsoft Teams.

Wednesday 13th July, 10:30am – 12:30pm, The H Suite, 100 Icknield Port Rd, Birmingham B16 0AA

If you would like to attend any of the consultations event, please register here. You will be emailed a link 24 hours before the event goes live for the two online events

If you would prefer an accessible version of the Draft Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2023-2030 and Consultation Questionnaire please email:

Antonietta.Viola@birmingham.gov.uk or Tariro.Mandisodza@birmingham.gov.uk

Why your views matter

CONTEXT
This 2023-2030 Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy sets out Birmingham City Council’s (BCC) and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s (SMBC) themes, priorities and approach to meeting the sexual health needs of Birmingham and Solihull. It sets out plans to respond to increasing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV rates and reproductive sexual health  which can have long lasting impacts on sexual health and wellbeing. Sexual Health can impact an individual’s emotional, physical and mental health, their economic means and social relationships. The effects of poor sexual and reproductive health are far reaching and for those affected, the impacts are compounded by social stigma and fear. We are asking you, the Citizens of Birmingham, Strategic Partners and Key Agencies (including current service providers) to give us your views on our Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2023-2030. Our proposed approach is set out in the draft strategy and is intended to direct our actions in Birmingham and Solihull. The draft strategy has been developed using findings from a needs assessment and highlights the following themes:

Theme One: Priority groups

Theme Two: Reducing the rates of sexually transmitted infections

Theme Three: Reduce the number of  unwanted pregnancies

Theme Four: Building resilience

Theme Five: Children and young people

We would like to take on board the voices and experiences of citizens and stakeholders through a wide-ranging public consultation. This consultation will provide information to help us understand whether we have taken the correct approach and to enable you to help us to shape the future.
 

VISION
A key vision of the strategy is to address the joint common themes identified by the Sexual Health Needs Assessment for Birmingham and Solihull. This strategy will provide a tool to enable appropriate action and enhance existing pathways to meet the needs of citizens.

The key objectives of the strategy are to:

• Ensure that every resident has access to sexual health services that meet their individual needs.

• Enable services that are local, relevant, approachable, confidential, non-judgemental, to provide services to anyone in need, while respecting all human protected characteristics.

• Enable citizens to have control of their own sexual health with services providing support where needed.

The strategy will play a key role in realising the joint vision for sexual health services for the future, and will facilitate:

• A fully integrated, free and confidential sexual health service for all citizens across the life course

• A reduction in the high rates of teenage and unwanted pregnancy, abortion and STIs, which can have far reaching consequences for individuals and society

• Open and equitable access to sexual  health services

A key outcome of the strategy will be to equip the citizens of Birmingham and Solihull to have healthy sexual relationships, positively impacting the wider emotional, mental and physical health and wellbeing of citizens.