Lambeth Council has teamed up with Southwark and Lewisham councils to introduce three new sexual health outreach services.
These services are specifically designed to support at-risk communities, ensuring they have easier access to essential sexual health and wellbeing information, advice, and resources.
Each service focuses on a community requiring additional support to manage their sexual health and wellbeing:
- Young People in Lambeth and Southwark
- Individuals categorized as ‘marginalized’ by health services, including asylum seekers, sex workers, those experiencing homelessness or substance misuse, transgender individuals, and people with learning disabilities
- Black African, Black Caribbean, and Latin American communities
These groups often face increased vulnerability to poor sexual health and encounter barriers to accessing traditional services.
A recent report commissioned by Lambeth Council revealed that only 24% of young people surveyed felt very or extremely confident in accessing sexual health advice, STI testing, prevention, and treatment.
The new initiatives aim to address these gaps by ensuring healthcare providers:
- Raise awareness about available sexual health services in Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham
- Improve the quality and accessibility of these services
- Deliver community-based, non-clinical sexual health support
- Accompany vulnerable individuals to specialist clinics when needed
Cllr Jacqui Dyer, Lambeth Council’s joint Cabinet Member for Healthier Communities, expressed support for these critical efforts.