A review of access to Manchester's sexual health services
Download (PDF 717.37 KB)Summary of report content
Between 2015 and 2016 Healthwatch Manchester received a large number of complaints and negative feedback regarding access to Manchester’s sexual health services. These were mostly in regard to the lengthy waiting times before examination and treatment and also in regard to confusion regarding the online presence and its signposting function.
This report aimed to provide a review of access to Manchester’s Sexual Health Services. Questionnaire surveys were used as the method of investigation.
Healthwatch Manchester engaged with a total of 437 people.
Due to service configuration and uptake, Manchester’s sexual health hubs face different pressures in the way they are accessed. Some of these can be addressed through the analysis of the data collected in this investigation. While a majority of people prefer attending clinics through prior appointments as opposed to walk-in service, many of those who participated in the survey were attending the clinic as walk-ins. There were concerns about the low level of staff in relation to the large volume of patients in the clinics and how this increased the time during which the patients waited for their appointments and service.