New One Stop Web Site Offers Advice On Contraception And Sexual Health For Young People In Somerset, UK

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 17 Feb 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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A new sexual health advice web site is available this week for young people in Somerset.

The eye catching design and easy to navigate pages at http://www.somersetcsh.co.uk aim to provide a one stop point of advice and information on sexual health services across the county.

With rates of teenage pregnancy in the UK amongst the highest in Europe and sexually transmitted infections still on the rise, it is more important than ever to ensure that all young people have the right information at the right time for them.

In Somerset, as elsewhere, it is estimated that one in ten young people have the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia. The numbers of teenage conceptions in the county highlight the need for young people to be well informed about sexual health services.

NHS Somerset (aka Somerset Primary Care Trust) and Somerset County Council have launched the new web site (http://www.somersetcsh.co.uk) which they hope will highlight the many services freely available to young people.

The web site offers a one stop shop to information and advice including:

- Being ready for sex and resisting peer pressure
- Contraceptive and Sexual Health Services
- Free pregnancy testing
- Emergency contraception
- Chlamydia screening
- The Somerset C Card (Condom scheme)

Michelle Hawkes, Public Health Advisor with NHS Somerset, said: "We need to make sure that all young people know why they should protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections by using contraception, including condoms and where they can get the right contraception that suits them. The new web site and the brightly coloured promotional materials we will be distributing, aim to remind young people of the importance of good sexual health and signpost them to the right service for them. We want young people to remember that love and respect go hand in hand with safe sexual behaviour."

The new web site can be found at: http://www.somersetcsh.co.uk

Notes

The main Contraceptive and Sexual Health Service is based at 7, The Crescent in Taunton (Tel: 01823 364940). They have a number of services based across Somerset (details are on the new website or by phoning the Taunton clinic).

The Contraceptive and Sexual Health Service offer confidential information and advice on sexual health and relationship issues and offer a range of services including:

- The full range of contraception
- Emergency contraception
- Pregnancy testing and advice
- Condoms (C-Card)
- Chlamydia Screening
- Information and testing for some sexually transmitted infections
The Somerset C-Card promotes condom use and safer sex for young people, especially young men, and provides free condoms and sexual health information.

See http://www.somersetc-card.org.uk for details of participating organisations.

The Somerset Chlamydia Screening Programme offers free and confidential Chlamydia screening for all young men and women under the age of 25. DIY screening kits can be picked up from a number of locations or accessed online, and if a young person is infected, it is easy to treat with a single dose of antibiotic tablets. More information can be found on the new website, or on http://www.somersetpct.nhs.uk/chlamydia

NHS Somerset

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