The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV - BASHH - was formed in 2003 through the merger of the Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Diseases (MSSVD; established 1922) and the Association for Genitourinary Medicine (AGUM; established 1992).
The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV is the UK leading organisation dealing with all aspects of sexual health care, setting standards and aiming to champion and promote good sexual health.
The objectives of BASHH are:
BASHH is committed to public and patient engagement (PPE) in order to ensure the organisation is responsive to their needs. The PPE work of BASHH is coordinated through an active public panel comprising lay members and representatives from major sexual health charities and professional organisations.
The primary role of the panel is to contribute to the production of clinical guidelines and patient information leaflets concerning sexually transmitted infections and other sexual health problems. This ensures that the guidance and information produced by BASHH are highly relevant to patient needs, easily understood and written in language respectful to patients.