Meeting the Manchester Demand

Recommendations: 

• There is a need to address the localised pressures on the north, south and central sexual health provider hubs in order to improve patient access and experience.
• There is a need to review and refresh the online presence for Manchester’s sexual health services. This should be done through coproduction involving a diverse range of participants and in alignment with the NHS Accessible Information Standard.
• The marketing strategy and plan for the Northern Sexual Health service should be refreshed and include methods for targeting specific groups of people according to market segmentation.
• Healthwatch Manchester, as the independent consumer champion for health and social care, needs to either lead or be involved in the above.
• The concerns regarding the low level of staff in relation to the large volume of patients in the clinics and the negative impact this has on patient experience need to be addressed.