BASHH welcomes the launch of new online planning resource for GUM services and other specialties

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) have welcomed the launch of ‘Medical Care’, a new online planning resource providing comprehensive guidance for the design of a broad range of specialty services, including those for genitourinary medicine (GUM), and to support the ongoing development of physicians and their teams.

The resource, which has been produced by Royal College of Physicians in partnership with a number of specialties including BASHH, contains expert advice to encourage the delivery of efficient, effective and patient-centred services across 19 initial clinical domains, which will rise to 28 to coincide with the full launch in December 2016.

Each area includes evidence-based guidance for both the design of services, as well as information on the education, training and continuing professional development required for each specialty.

GUM is featured as one of the initial specialty areas and sets out the importance of delivering high quality sexual health services. It also contains guidance around the components that these services should be based around, such as providing open and rapid access where appropriate, delivering an integrated approach and supporting the needs of both the wider local population as well as at-risk groups.

BASHH would like to recognise and thank its members who have helped to bring this GUM specialty guidance to life, a process that has been led by Dr Olwen Williams and Dr Alan Tang, with invaluable support from Dr Leena Sathia, Dr Jackie Sherrard, Dr Gavin Dabrera, Dr Shamela De Silva and Professor Jackie Cassell.

Commenting on the launch of this new resource, Dr Elizabeth Carlin, President of BASHH said:

BASHH are delighted to see this hugely important online resource become available for physicians and commend all of the hard work that has helped support its production. The inclusion of guidance supporting the delivery of effective and forward-looking genitourinary medicine services is especially timely considering the sustained rise in gonorrhoea and syphilis in this country and in the light of ongoing pressures on the public health budget. Providing physicians with evidence-based support and guidance is an essential and important part of the process of reversing these worrying trends.

Dr Elizabeth Carlin, BASHH President