A new £250,000 one-stop primary care centre for sexual health services focusing on the needs of patients is to be built in Newcastle.
It will be the new base for the genito urinary medicine (GUM) clinic, and the contraception and sexual health service, currently based at the Graingerville Clinic in Newcastle General Hospital.
Newcastle Primary Care Trust, North Tyneside Primary Care Trust, and Northumberland Care Trust have approved the outline business plan to bring the services together under one roof.
The new centre will be developed on a city centre site, yet to be announced, and will cover regular and emergency contraception, and screening for a variety of sexual health needs.
Maurya Cushlow, director of community services at Newcastle Primary Care Trust, said: “We have known for some time that the buildings in which our staff provide excellent services are stretched to capacity, and this makes it difficult to provide a service which really meets the complex and changing needs of patients.
“Our plans to improve sexual health services focus on responding to patients’ needs as quickly as possible.
“We would also look to bring in our teenage pregnancy team, sexual health improvement staff, and the chlamydia screening office for under-25s so that as well as treating patients, we can also focus on our work of improving people’s awareness of sexual health.”
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