News

Our Sexual Health team at Barking Community Hospital has improved the way patients access care, offering faster support after introducing a new system where patients are first assessed by a specialist nurse.

Previously, high demand meant some walk-in patients were unable to be seen on the same day after available appointments had been filled. Patients could wait for long periods before finding out there were no further slots available.

The new approach means every patient now has a conversation with a specialist nurse, allowing the team to understand their needs and ensure they receive the right support as quickly as possible.

This means patients can often receive advice, testing or treatment without needing to wait for a standard appointment, helping the team support more people and identify infections earlier.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, more than 11,000 people attended the service, compared with just over 10,100 in the previous year.

The team also carried out more than 34,000 sexual health tests, almost 4,800 more than the year before.

Matron Petra Francis said:

Our nurses are often the first people patients speak to, and that conversation can make all the difference.

By changing the way we organise appointments, we’re now able to help more people, diagnose infections earlier and provide compassionate care when it’s needed most.

For 19-year-old Emily (not her real name), speaking to a nurse at the clinic helped her through a difficult time after she learned her boyfriend had been unfaithful.

Although she had no symptoms, she was worried she may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and was anxious about the possibility of pregnancy.

Emily almost left the clinic before being seen because she felt embarrassed and convinced herself she was wasting everyone’s time. After speaking to the nurse, she was reassured that her concerns were important and received the tests and support she needed.

She said:

I was devastated. I couldn't stop crying, I wasn't sleeping properly and I could barely focus on anything. I almost turned around and left because I thought I was overreacting.

When the nurse asked what had brought me in, I completely broke down. She listened without judging me and explained that lots of STIs don't cause symptoms. For the first time since finding out about my boyfriend, I felt like I could finally breathe.

When my results came back, I found out I had chlamydia. I was completely shocked because I felt absolutely fine. If I'd gone home that day like I nearly did, I would never have known.

Looking back, I needed someone to listen, reassure me and explain what was happening and that conversation changed everything.

Between April 2025 and March this year, the team diagnosed 2,892 sexually transmitted infections, including 890 cases of chlamydia, 569 cases of gonorrhoea, 146 cases of syphilis, 31 cases of HIV and 27 cases of hepatitis B and C.

They also treated 118 cases of trichomoniasis (TV), a sexually transmitted infection caused by a parasite. Many STIs do not cause symptoms, so finding infections early allows patients to receive treatment sooner and helps prevent infections being passed onto others.

The extra capacity has also helped more women access long-lasting contraception, with hundreds of contraceptive coils and implants fitted over the last year.