President’s Blog – Professor Matt Phillips
February 2024
02 February 2024
Dear Colleagues,
We have work to do.
For my first blog as President, I would like to start by raising a toast to our now Immediate Past President, Dr Claire Dewsnap. Not many Presidents have to lead through an outbreak of an infection previously considered rare in the UK, help to lead a vaccine response, and advocate for the people we serve.
This alone would have been enough, however Claire showed relentless energy in improving BASHH, perhaps the most radical change being the appointment of BASHH’s first CEO. I want to share my gratitude for the energy, expertise and above all compassion that she brought to everything she approached within her role.
It’s a real honour to be serving as President, and I am excited about the possibilities BASHH has to influence excellent sexual healthcare for all who need it. As I come in, there are some clear priorities for BASHH. I believe wholeheartedly that our collective voice is our most powerful tool to facilitate the changes we need to see, and so I will need the help of every member. I will do everything I can to nurture and empower our collective voice to address needs around strategy and funding, access to expertise in services, and tackle the recruitment issues for doctors specialising in GU Medicine.
The first priority is the need for a Sexual Health Strategy underpinned by adequate funding. The Local Government Association (LGA) published a new analysis detailing the experiences we have seen first-hand (with data from England) around increased rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis on a background of decreasing funding. The Officers and I will be working hard to advocate for a strategy and improved funding models across the UK.
The next priority must be access to expertise. Claire gave evidence at the Women and Equalities Select Committee last week showing that there are low rates of HIV screening for some groups accessing sexual health care in a range of settings. In a recent radio interview, I also raised the need for focus on Health Advising – the right expertise to sensitively get sexual partners tested and treated. Both expertise and funding underpin the provision of quality sexual healthcare and I will be making that case.
The third priority is workforce. Many of you will see that your medical registrar numbers are underfilled. Luckily, BASHH has committed to the #LoveGUM campaign and our excellent colleagues in STASHH are working hard to show people what an excellent decision a career in GUM is. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you any ideas of initiatives to attract more registrars.
Finally, I would like to express my excitement to welcome our new BASHH Officers and Board members to their roles – in particular this is the first board with Officers drawn from SAS and nursing backgrounds, and a Fellow from pharmacy. I can’t wait for us to get stuck into the challenges that lie ahead and my door is always open (or at least my inbox – President@BASHH.net). I look forward to hearing from and working with as many of you as possible this coming year.
Yours,
Professor Matt Phillips
BASHH President