Professionals
We are a designated training centre providing specialist training to healthcare professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of sexual health. This section provides details of training available, as well as information about how to refer patients to our specialist clinics, such as psychosexual medicine and complex contraception.
What’s On the Page
Training
psychosexual
STIs
Pregnancy Advisory
Living with HIV
contraception
Training
Gloucestershire is proud to have a highly-regarded integrated sexual health service. We are committed to providing friendly, accessible, holistic and evidence-based sexual healthcare to the population of Gloucestershire.
We are all practising clinicians and have a long history of working together as a team and in partnership with other institutions to deliver sexual health education and training. We provide clinical placements for F2 doctors and GP trainees and training for the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) qualifications. We also deliver masterclasses for implant and coil fitters, as well as regular contraception and sexual health updates aimed at healthcare professionals working in the community.
We have a wealth of experience in providing a varied and comprehensive range of training, including the development of bespoke sessions to meet the needs of teams involved in sexual healthcare. An example of this is the emergency contraception training we deliver to School Nurses and Minor Injuries Unit staff. This enables them to competently assess women requiring emergency contraception, working safely within the Trust-approved patient group directions (PGDs).
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) training
A range of qualifications from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) can be undertaken through our service.
These include the Diploma (DFSRH) and Letters of Competence for intrauterine techniques (LoC IUT) and subdermal implants (LoC SDI). We have in-house Faculty Registered Trainers (FRTs) who will oversee your training and be responsible for signing off your experience.
Please see further information in the Training Menu below.
If you are interested in applying for one of these qualifications, please fill in the application form and return to Joanne.Mutton@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6529.
Educational events
In addition, we provide a programme of educational events throughout the year. These are aimed at colleagues working in primary care and allied healthcare professions including school nursing and minor injury unit staff.
These events are usually face-to-face sessions, but may take place online/remotely. Topics covered include Emergency Contraception training, GP Update sessions, Contraceptive Coil and Implant Masterclasses for those who already provide these in practice and the BASHH STIF course (British Association of Sexual Health and HIV- Sexually Transmitted Infection Foundation course).
Further information can be found in the ‘Training Menu’ below.
Training Menu 2024
If you are interested in applying for one of these qualifications, please fill in the application form and return to the Hope House administration team at sexualhealthtraining@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 421 6529.
Clinical training
This includes face-to-face training on a 1:1 basis in a clinical setting and support from a Faculty Registered Trainer (FRT).
Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (DFSRH)
We are delighted to be delivering the new and improved DFSRH Diploma.
Information about the redesigned diploma, including entry requirements, can be found on the FSRH website here: Education & Training – Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (fsrh.org)
Dates: This is an individually-tailored timetable. Please note, there is a waiting list.
Cost: £250 fee payable directly to the FSRH when submitting your application. The cost of the face-to-face training and FRT support is £600. This does not include the AHD.
Letter of Competence Intrauterine Techniques (LoC IUT)
Information about LoC IUT, including entry requirements, can be found on the FSRH website: Education & Training – Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (fsrh.org)
Dates: This is an individually-tailored timetable. Please note there is a waiting list
Cost: £450
Letter of Competence Subdermal Implant Techniques (LoC SDI)
Information about LoC SDI, including entry requirements, can be found on the FSRH website: Education & Training – Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (fsrh.org)
Dates: This is an individually-tailored timetable. Please note there is a waiting list
Cost: £350
Sexual Health in the Community Setting
This half-day course includes:
- A contraception update, including current guidance from the FSRH
- What’s new in GU?
- A practical guide to emergency contraception
Who should attend: Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, physician associates or other healthcare professionals working in primary care and other community settings.
Dates:
- Thursday 6 June 2024 1.30-5pm
- Thursday 5 December 2024 1.30-5pm
Venue: Dowty Sports and Social Club
Charge: £100
Intrauterine Contraception Masterclass
This half-day course includes:
- Top tips for difficult coil fits
- Tackling troublesome bleeding
- Overview of the newer devices
- Revision of emergency contraception, including the Cu-IUD as post-coital contraception
Who should attend: Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, physician associates or other healthcare professionals working in primary care and other community settings.
Date: Thursday 23 May 2024 – 1.30-5pm
Venue: Dowty Sports and Social Club
Charge: £100
Psychosexual for professionals
We provide psychosexual medicine for patients via referral only from a GP or other healthcare professional. Please note that due to limited resources, we only accept patients who are over 16, living at a Gloucestershire address and registered with a GP in Gloucestershire.
Referrals may be made by letter or completion of the Psychosexual Counselling referral form and sent by email to sexualhealthadministration@ghc.nhs.uk or fax 0300 421 6822 (Safe Haven).
We will only accept the following sexual dysfunctions:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Arousal dysfunction
- Rapid/delayed ejaculation
- Orgasmic dysfunction
- Low desire/libido
- Dyspareunia
We will not accept:
- Sexual practices which would be the subject of action under the criminal justice system
- Sexual addictions and paraphilia
Living with
HIV for professionals
If you are a healthcare professional and have a patient with a new HIV diagnosis, please contact us immediately!
For patients who are HIV positive who wish to transfer to our service, please send a referral with any background information you have available to you. Alternatively they can self-refer.
Referral Information
Patients who are HIV positive can transfer from another clinic by either calling us directly, or by being referred by the HIV clinic that is currently providing their care. We will then ask the patient to sign a consent form asking their previous clinic to send their medical history.
Healthcare professionals requiring advice can also contact the team. Our office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm, and Friday 9am-4.30pm, excluding weekends and bank holidays.
To make a referral or for professional advice, please contact the team on 0300 421 6542, or email blue.team@ghc.nhs.uk
Our service also operates an out-of-hours on-call HIV consultant service offering urgent advice for healthcare professionals. This service is accessible outside normal office hours and includes weekends and bank holidays. You can contact the on-call HIV consultant via the switchboard at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on 0300 422 2222.
Contraception for professionals
This section includes referral advice and information on complex contraception.
Contraception Information
We no longer provide repeat contraception to patients over 25 years of age unless there are additional vulnerabilities identified. This includes pills, injectables, implants, patches and coils. We will of course continue to offer emergency contraception, including pills and coils to ALL patients, and they should be advised to call us on our triage number – 0300 421 6500.
If you are a primary healthcare provider and your patient requests a coil or implant fit and you are unable to provide this service, please consider referral to one of your neighbouring GP practices.
We continue to provide specialist ‘Complex Contraceptive Clinics’ (CCC) for the management of IUD/IUS problems, such as unsuccessful coil fits, non-visible threads that require removal (please ensure they have had a hospital ultrasound within 6 months prior to the appointment to check coil position), deep implant removal (please document on the referral whether the implant is partially or completely impalpable), and women with complex needs i.e. prescribing, co-morbidity and/or learning disability, women with multiple side effects/contraindications to contraception options.
This service is only available to women requiring contraception to prevent pregnancy, i.e. NOT for treatment of menorrhagia or other non-contraceptive purposes such as HRT, and referrals must be made by the patient’s General Practitioner.
Please note that patients can only be managed to the level of a community service, therefore anyone requiring, for example, a general anaesthetic, must be referred to the appropriate service by either the clinician, or as advised by the referring clinician.
Referral Information
If you are a General Practitioner and would like to make a referral to the complex contraception clinic please write to:
Sexual Health Administration Team
Hope House
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Great Western road
Gloucester, GL1 3NN
or email sexualhealthadministration@ghc.nhs.uk
Please ensure that the referral criteria is met in that the patient requires the service for contraceptive purposes. Referrals for treatment for non-contraceptive purposes should be made to the gynaecological department at Gloucester Royal Hospital.
Pregnancy Advisory Service for professionals
Patients DO NOT need to be referred by a healthcare professional to access the Pregnancy Advisory Service and, wherever possible, should be advised to self-refer by calling us on 0300 421 6532 (Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm, excluding bank holidays).
Referral information
My patient is unsure about their pregnancy but they are experiencing pain and / or bleeding - where should they be referred?
If there is unilateral pain or other risk factors for ectopic pregnancy, or a history of an ectopic pregnancy, a referral to the Early Pregnancy Clinic would be advisable to exclude this.
If an intrauterine pregnancy is confirmed, the patient can be referred to us from Early Pregnancy. As the Early Pregnancy Clinic and our service (Pregnancy Advisory) are different Trusts and have separate records, we aim to fast track these patients to our service to prevent any delays to their care.
When patients are referred to the Pregnancy Advisory Service directly and a subsequent scan indicates a potential miscarriage or pregnancy of unknown location, we refer to the Early Pregnancy Clinic.
The Early Pregnancy Clinic is run by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and, although we operate our service within the same grounds, we are a separate NHS Trust – therefore we do not have access to each others’ records.
The Early Pregnancy Clinic is for women who are experiencing pain and / or bleeding from 7 weeks to 15 +6 weeks gestation.
Patients requiring the Early Pregnancy Clinic must be referred by a healthcare professional.
Healthcare professionals can refer patients to the Early Pregnancy Clinic by emailing ghn-tr.earlypregnancyreferrals@nhs.net
The Early Pregnancy phone line is available 7 days a week between 8-4pm for advice – call 0300 422 5549. There is a voicemail service and we aim to respond ASAP to all messages left.
Please do not leave messages for patients needing urgent medical attention!
My patient wants to explore a termination due to concerns about the health of the pregnancy or fetal anomoly. Should I refer them to your service?
The scans used within the Pregnancy Advisory Service are to assess gestation prior to a termination. They are not detailed scans to provide information and advice regarding the health of a pregnancy.
Patients requesting a termination due to the risk of their emotional and mental wellbeing are appropriate for referral to the Pregnancy Advisory Service. If there are concerns regarding a fetal anomaly then a referral to the Fetal Medicine Service would be more appropriate.
The Fetal Medicine Service, run by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has clinics in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Once the referral has been accepted, women will be given the first available appointment to be seen within 3 days, irrespective of maternal address. The consultants working in Fetal Medicine do not have direct contact details. If a referral is required The Fetal Medicine Service can be contacted on 0300 422 6106 (answer machine available) or by emailing ghn-tr.ANSCO@nhs.net. The email account and phone line are manned during office hours.
STIs for professionals
The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV is the UK’s leading professional organisation dealing with all aspects of sexual health care, including clinical guidelines, information about STIs and HIV and current research in the field of sexual health.
Referral Information
If you are a professional (GP or mental health practitioner etc) and would like to refer a patient to our clinic you can write to us at:
- Sexual Health Administration
Hope House
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Gloucester GL1 3NN
If you have any questions relating to making a referral please email sexualhealthadministration@ghc.nhs.uk or call 0300 4216531/6534 Monday-Friday 9-5pm.
SARC For Professionals
Information for professionals regarding referral information is available on the dedicated Sexual Assault page.
