Tower Hamlets Sexual Health Services are changing
From the 31st October Barts Health is changing how and where sexual and reproductive health services are delivered in Tower Hamlets. We’re bringing together the Sylvia Pankhurst Centre, currently based at Mile End Hospital, alongside Ambrose King Centre (AKC), based at Royal London Hospital, to form a single comprehensive one stop service for all walk in sexual and reproductive health care operating from the AKC Centre in Whitechapel. Walk in sexual health services at Mile End Hospital will cease from the 29th October with an appointment only service being retained for both abortion services and one day a week booked sexual health clinic. We’re also reducing the number of satellite clinics from 4 to 2 sites. Barts Sexual Health clinics at the Barkantine and Spitalfields Clinics will close from 28th October.
The, new, integrated service at Whitechapel will offer extended opening hours across six days of the week, in newly refurbished premises, with excellent transport links, delivered by skilled, experienced staff. Services from the remaining 2 satellite clinics will remain with an additional afternoon session a week taking place at the Newby Place Clinic.
In partnership with the local Health Watch, Council and the CCG we have reviewed our community based services for Tower Hamlets residents, and have developed a revised schedule of services delivered across the Borough to maximise access to sexual and reproductive health care.
In addition to these changes we have been working extensively with community pharmacy to ensure that free access to condoms, emergency contraception and self-sampled STI and HIV testing are widely accessible across 46 local community venues.
New service model from 31st October 2016
Ambrose King Centre (AKC), Mount Terrace, LONDON, E1 1BB
Ambrose King Centre will become the centre for open access sexual and reproductive health care in Tower Hamlets. The service will offer an extended range of opening hours across six days per week. Early evening clinics will run four days a week with services provided until 2000 but the last walk in patients will be seen at 1830 to enable patients to be seen between 1830 and 2000.
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Clinic 09.00-18.30 09.00-18.30 12.00-18.30 09.00-18.30 09.00-16.00 09.00-12.30 Opening Hours
Sylvia Pankhurst Centre (TH CASH), 3rd floor Grove Building, Mile End Hospital, Bancroft Road,
London, E1 4DG
Sylvia Pankhurst Centre will offer limited booked appointments once per week alongside termination of pregnancy (TOP) services.
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Clinic 13.00- No service- No service- No service- No service- No service- Opening 16.00 full full full full full Hours contraception contraception contraception contraception contraception service service service service service provided at provided at provided at provided at provided at AKC AKC AKC AKC AKC TOPs 09.00- 09.00-13.00 09.00-13.00 09.00-13.00 09.00-13.00 No service opening 13.00 Hours (Booked only)
Community sexual health services (walk-in services)
Our nurse led, community clinics will deliver access to a range of contraception, sexual health testing and treatment across four days of the week. Our revised timetable takes into account both young people and adults living in Tower Hamlets, with convenient, discreet access across the borough.
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Clinics/ No Newby Place Steels Lane Newby Place Bus (mobile) No Opening service 21 Newby 384-388 21 Newby Locations service Hours Place, London, Commercial Place, London, promoted by E14 0EY Road , London, E14 0EY Barts Sexual E1 0LR Health (13.00-17.00) (13.00-16.00) (13.00-17.00) Twitter
Young People’s Services
Our Forward Thinking Partnership (FTP) services will continue to provide access to 14-24 year olds in the borough with the following clinics. Full details of our open access young people’s services can be found on www.fwdthinking.london
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Clinics/ Step Forward TH Step Forward Step Forward No Step Forward Opening 234 Bethnal College 234 Bethnal at AKC service at AKC Hours Green Green London, (16.00 -18.30) (12.00-14.30) London, E2 0AA E2 0AA (15.00-18.00) (15.00-19.00)
Primary Care
Increasingly more sexual and reproductive health care can be accessed across a range of primary care services.
Tower Hamlets General Practices are able to test and treat straight-forward sexual health problems and offer a range of contraceptive care, in addition to providing advice and referral onto specialist services where required.
Community pharmacy plays an important role in provision of healthcare and advice to the population. Tower Hamlets pharmacists are now able to offer a range of services to Tower Hamlets residents including access to STI and HIV testing, emergency contraception and condom provision. These services are free, discreet and accessible 7 days per week across the Borough. Information on these services may be accessed via NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx
Why are we making these changes?
Tower Hamlets has some of the highest rates of sexual health needs and problems across the UK, and demand for support care and treatment continues to increase year on year. Against a background of large reductions in the Public Health Grant from national government this has meant Local Authorities have significant financial challenges. Tower Hamlets Council approved a savings plan to reduce spending on sexual health services which came into effect in October 2016.
Over the last year Barts Health has worked closely with Tower Hamlets Council to carefully review the needs of the resident population. The review found that the existing community clinics did not provide an ideal service model and should be reduced from 4 to 2 sites. The services operated from the Barkantine Centre and Spitalfields Centre were not able to offer sufficient space for the full range of services.
Sexual health services at Newby Place Health Centre will be expanded to two days a week, maintained at Steels Lane, opening hours extended at the integrated service from Ambrose King Centre and a new appointment only service operated on a Monday from Mile End Hospital. Sexual health services provided from TH College, Step Forward and outreach from the sexual health bus will remain unaffected by the changes. The termination of pregnancy service, commissioned by Tower Hamlets CCG, will remain at Mile End Hospital with women accessing this service being provided with full sexual health screening and contraception.
We are both invested in ensuring our services are providing high quality, safe care to the community, with a key focus on targeting those at greatest need. We also recognise the need for services to be responsive to patient need and cost-effective.
Your Feedback matters
Although Barts and the local council have consulted widely on sexual health services and the need to make savings on sexual health services over the last year we welcome ongoing feedback on all aspects of local sexual health services. If you would like to feedback on any aspect of sexual health services in Tower Hamlets please email and we will continue to review the implemented changes to ensure our services remain accessible to all.