BASHH responds to the Government’s Prevention Green Paper consultation

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) have submitted their response to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on the Advancing our Health: Prevention in the 2020’s Green Paper.The Green Paper represents a key part of the Government’s approach to setting out how it will better embed a focus on prevention across the NHS. The consultation requested feedback on plans for a range of public health areas, including asking respondents to identify three key priorities that a future sexual health strategy should cover.The development of a new sexual health strategy has been a key priority for BASHH and was included as a headline recommendation within the recent Health and Social Care Committee inquiry on sexual health. The following priority areas that should be included within a strategy were put forward within BASHH’s response to the consultation, which was developed with the support of a small working group:  •    Priority 1: Highlighting the need for increased sexual health funding to reverse the persistent cuts that have impacted upon the delivery of services in recent years•    Priority 2: Setting out a framework that can deliver a more joined-up approach to the structure of sexual health service commissioning, reducing existing fragmentation and facilitating increased co-commissioning between the NHS and local government.  •    Priority 3: Embedding a more progressive approach to the process of sexual health service commissioning.The Department of Health and Social Care will consider stakeholder feedback to the consultation and are expected to set out their next steps for their approach to prevention, and sexual health as part of this, in the coming months.To read the BASHH consultation response in full click here.