Rochdale, Oldham and Bury councils come together to create young people’s sexual health service

Rochdale, Oldham and Bury councils are planning a new £16m sexual health service for young people, offering contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections.

The ‘Integrated Sexual Health Service’ would provide an ‘all-age’ service to provide seamless access for patients requiring contraception, STI testing and treatment services.

The service will include a Young People’s Sexual Health Support Service and, covering Rochdale and Bury, a Young Persons Clinical Service will also be available.

It is understood that nursing staff will provide both contraceptive and infection care and advice.

The three councils have now come together to seek a supplier and whoever wins the contract will also provide senior staff to ensure that the service is consultant-led.

The contract for the service will run from November 2015 until March 2021 and in total, is worth £16.9m.

Wendy Meston, Rochdale Borough Council’s Interim Director of Public Health, said: “Rochdale, Oldham and Bury councils are combining their expertise to jointly commission integrated sexual health services in a single process led by Rochdale Council and the procurement unit for the three local authority areas.

“Sharing our expertise makes the process more efficient and ensures that each of our areas buys a shared model of a high-quality sexual health service for our residents.

“This has the benefit of eradicating the repeated administrative work that would be created if three councils did it separately. There will still be distinct sexual health services available in each borough but within a shared set of standards and model of service provision.”