Have your say on the way Sexual Health and Reproductive Services are delivered

Closes 5 Jan 2025

Opened 19 Nov 2024

Contact

publichealth@westnorthants.gov.uk

Overview

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) plan to form a formal partnership, to allow NHFT to provide Sexual and Reproductive Health services on the council’s behalf from April 2025.

Learn more about the agreement

This legal agreement helps the council and NHS providers to work together to improve services.

The agreement is called a section 75. It is a legal partnership between local authorities and NHS providers, allowing them to work together to improve services.

It is established under the National Health Service Act 2006 and updated by the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Background

Local authorities have a duty to arrange open access sexual and reproductive health services for everyone in their area. NHFT provides our current arrangement for these services for both West and North Northamptonshire Councils, this joint contract comes to an end in March 2025. From April 2025 West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council will commission these services separately. NHFT also provide Northamptonshire’s HIV service on behalf of NHS England.

Examples of services covered

The following list provides examples of services covered:

  • Free testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs),
  • Notification of sexual partners of infected persons,
  • Advice on, and reasonable access to, a broad range of contraception,
  • Advice on preventing unplanned pregnancy.

Why are we consulting

Important research, and engagement with key stakeholders, has been undertaken to help us understand people’s experiences of current services as well as the needs of the local community. With this we feel that partnering with NHFT is the best way to address the needs; ensuring our HIV, sexual and reproductive health services work together. This will enhance and improve health outcomes while minimising disruption and making the best use of resources.

What are the possible benefits of the agreement?

From our research and previous engagement, we know the benefits could include:

  • Better planning to meet local needs,
  • A shared vision of the partnership’s benefits,
  • Agreed goals for the partnership,
  • Making the best use of resources,
  • Streamlining services,
  • Learning from each other to improve services,
  • More flexible and responsive services for patients.

Before a partnership agreement can be put in place, WNC and NHFT are required to consult with anyone who may be affected by the arrangement to gather and consider feedback before finalising the agreement.

Your feedback is important to help us identify and address any issues or gaps and will be considered for future service improvements.

How to provide your feedback

Any member of the public and interested organisations can comment on the proposal by completing this anonymous, short online survey using the ’Give us your views’ link at the bottom of this page. Please note we will not be able to offer an individual response to your feedback.

If you have any queries or require the survey in another format, please email publichealth@westnorthants.gov.uk or telephone 0300 126 7000.

This consultation closes midnight Sunday 5 January 2025.

What happens next?

If supported, WNC and NHFT will start a partnership agreement to deliver the sexual and reproductive health service in West Northamptonshire from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028.

The partnership aims to minimise disruption, so you’ll notice little difference to the current provision.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.

Give us your views

Online Survey

Interests

  • Consultations
  • Public Health