Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) preventative care, (b) outreach on and (c) awareness of sexual health for high risk populations.

Public Health England’s (PHE’s) ‘Health promotion for sexual and reproductive health and HIV: strategic action plan, 2016 to 2019’ states the need to develop interventions targeting specific communities particularly affected by poor sexual and reproductive health. Further information is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488090/SRHandHIVStrategicPlan_211215.pdf

PHE implements the strategy and supports preventative care, outreach, and awareness of sexual health by commissioning the following programmes: the national sexual health information programme to improve the public and professional understanding of contraception, pregnancy choices, planning a pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and sexual wellbeing; the national HIV prevention programme for men who have sex with men, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in whom there is a higher or emerging burden of infection; and the HIV Prevention Innovation Fund aiming to reduce the impact of HIV in specific localities and communities by supporting voluntary sector organisations.

PHE also supports NHS England on the implementation of a pre-exposure prophylaxis trial for groups at a higher risk for HIV acquisition.