Press release
Minister Hildegarde Naughton welcomes publication of the Review of the National Sexual Health Strategy
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister of State with Responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton, has today welcomed the publication of the Review of the National Sexual Health Strategy.
Minister Naughton said:
"I am delighted to welcome the publication of the Review, which identifies the majority of actions as successfully progressed. Given the pace of change in this area of health, the recommendations of the Review also provide a strong foundation for future planning and I look forward to supporting future service developments, to be laid out in the next version of the Strategy."
Sexual health has been a priority for the Department of Health; the National Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020 (NSHS) was developed as a core policy under the Healthy Ireland Framework and remains a priority under the Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025. The Strategy aims to improve sexual health and wellbeing and reduce negative sexual health outcomes, recognising the importance of supporting healthy attitudes to sexuality throughout the life course.
Implementation of the Strategy is led by the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP).
Since the publication of the Strategy, there have been a number of significant developments impacting on sexual health, including the Repeal of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, the subsequent introduction of termination of pregnancy services, a significant rise in Ireland’s population, both in terms of numbers and diversity and increasing STI rates, nationally and internationally.
Minister Naughton continued:
"I share the concern of many regarding the current upward trajectory in STI diagnoses. Under the framework provided by the Strategy, we have been able to provide additional funding to support the introduction of new initiatives, such as Pre- Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP), the new home STI testing service and our membership of the HIV Fasttrack Cities scheme, all of which contribute to improved sexual health and wellbeing.
"The independent review, carried out by Crowe Ireland Advisory, identified 56 Priority Actions within the NSHS, assessing 49 as having been successfully completed. It also sets out 32 indicative recommendations which could be considered for inclusion in the next Strategy, in addition to others identified by partners and stakeholders, that will build on ongoing achievements and optimise the development of a new Strategy."
Minister Naughton welcomes the convening of the group to work on the development of the new strategy to be published by the end of 2023 and emphasised the following areas as priorities for consideration:
- improving sexual health information, focussing on positive menstrual health education and awareness, fertility, gynaecology and contraception
- implementing a model of care for STI and sexual health service delivery
- building capacity and meeting demand for HIV PrEP
- further developing and expanding the free contraception scheme for women and the National Condom Distribution Service, to better support people’s contraception and STI prevention needs and recognising the key role of hormonal contraception in treating the adverse symptoms of periods
Minister Naughton concluded:
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme, our clinicians, staff and stakeholders, for their enthusiasm in engaging with the Review, and our partners in Crowe Ireland who completed it. I look forward to wider collaboration with our stakeholders, and colleagues to improve and expand our delivery of sexual and reproductive healthcare in Ireland further as part of developing the new Strategy."
Current sexual health priorities include:
- HIV prevention, including the national Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme and the HIV Fast Track Cities initiative, involving Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway
- expanding access to contraception, through the National Condom Distribution Service and, separately, through the free contraception scheme, which is currently open to women aged 17-26 and scheduled for expansion to include women aged 30 and below by September 2023
- expansion of sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, including the nationwide home STI testing service originally piloted by SHCPP with co-funding from the Sláintecare Integration Fund
- progressing a population survey on sexual health
- improving and expanding sexual health promotion training for professionals working in the health, education, youth work and community sectors, especially those working with vulnerable and high-risk groups
- development of sexual health promotion resources for use in those settings
The contract to provide an independent Review was awarded to Crowe Ireland Advisory following a competitive tender process. The Review includes an assessment of actions and priorities as set out in the NSHS, progress made with implementation; a brief analysis of sexual health strategies in selected EU countries (France, The Netherlands, and Spain); an evaluation of feedback from a wide-ranging stakeholder consultation, and, finally, a series of recommendations to inform future policy development.
The Strategy identified 56 Priority Actions, mapped within six domains: Clinical Services, Education: Supporting Parents and Educators; Communication and Information; Surveillance; Research; and Crisis Pregnancy Services. Of the 56 Priority Actions, the independent Review assessed 49 as having been successfully progressed.
The Review sets out a series of 32 indicative recommendations to build on ongoing achievements, and to optimise the development of a new Strategy. Continued collaboration and development of strategic planning with the SHCPP, clinicians, representative organisations and other stakeholders across relevant sectors and specialties will also inform the next phase of policy development.
HIV PrEP: Ireland established a national HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme in November 2019 following a HIQA HTA (Health Technology Assessment), which concluded that HIV PrEP would be safe, effective and cost-saving. The HTA also found that significant investment in public STI services was required to implement PrEP and €5.4 million was set aside in Budget 2020 to roll out a national HIV PrEP programme.
In line with international trends the eligibility criteria for PrEP have recently been revised to include anticipated risk of HIV infection. This is increasing the overall numbers of individuals meeting PrEP criteria.
At present, there are 13 public PrEP clinics in Ireland (four in Dublin), and 16 private/GP providers who are approved to prescribe free PrEP (15 in Dublin).
Since the programme commenced in November 2019, over 7,500 individuals have been approved for PrEP in line with national PrEP eligibility criteria. In 2021 (the latest year for which fully verified figures are available), 3,279 individuals filled a prescription for PrEP at least once through community pharmacies. The HSE advises that figures for 2022 are likely to be higher.
