Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy 2025-2030

The new strategies will reflect the UK’s commitment to reducing STIs and achieving zero new HIV infections, and zero AIDS and HIV-related deaths in England by 2030. They will also reflect the commitment set out in the first Women’s Health Strategy for England, which highlighted the importance of promoting positive reproductive health. Our strategies will be informed by the comprehensive sexual and reproductive health needs assessments which were recently conducted within Richmond and Wandsworth.

A life course approach might include positive parenting from a very early age to create the social and emotional foundations on which healthy and safe relationships can be built. Positive parenting may include setting personal boundaries and building self-awareness that can help prevent exploitation or abuse.

During the school years, evidence-based education in the classroom equips children to develop the knowledge and skills to grow into healthy adults seeking healthy relationships that are free from exploitation and abuse.

People of working age go through many important life events like getting married, having children, and experiencing changes in their bodies. To maintain good sexual and reproductive health, they need access to services that provide contraception, support during pregnancy, options for terminating a pregnancy, and diagnosis and treatment of STIs.

As people get older, they might become more socially isolated due to leaving work, developing health issues, or losing loved ones. While sexual activity often decreases with age, many older adults continue to have active and satisfying sex lives, adapting to any disabilities or illnesses they face. Not all older people want an active sex life, but for those who do, sexual problems can greatly affect their mental health and well-being. Sexual dysfunction isn’t a guaranteed part of aging for either men or women, however, it can often be influenced by stressors throughout life.

Throughout 2023 and early 2024, workshops and focus groups were conducted with various community groups, including young people, older adults, individuals with learning disabilities, LGBTQ members, and ethnic minorities. Over 70 participants shared their lived experiences and provided input on sexual and reproductive health priorities and actions.

Surveys were done with residents and staff to help plan the integrated sexual health service and understand their needs. The results were used to create the needs assessment and guide the main recommendations and priorities.

The results of the needs assessment and main priorities were shared with important groups from the council, health, and community sectors. This included CVS forums, safeguarding partnerships, pharmacy providers, health provider forums, disabilities partnerships, council consultation groups, mental health provider forums, and drug service partners.

In July 2024, a workshop was held with key partners to help shape the priorities and actions for this consultation. Partners from health, social care, schools, and community and voluntary services worked together to develop and agree on priority actions to support underserved and disproportionately affected groups.

In Richmond and Wandsworth, our vision for sexual and reproductive health is one that embraces the holistic wellbeing of our community. Aligned with the World Health Organisation’s definitions, our strategy is rooted in acknowledging the interconnectedness of sexual and reproductive health with physical, mental, and social well-being. We are committed to fostering an environment where people who work, live, or go to school in the borough can achieve optimal health outcomes that are free from violence and coercion across the life course. By improving education and access to information, we hope that communities will be empowered to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.

While our vision for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services is ambitious, we recognise the constraints of limited resources. By focusing our efforts on those who experience disproportionately poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and on those who are seldom heard, we aim to maximise the impact of our resources and create a more equitable and accessible healthcare landscape for everyone. In line with the National HIV Action Plan for England, we will continue to work towards achieving zero or minimal HIV transmission at a local level.

As we move forward, we are committed to remaining flexible and responsive to feedback from our community. We recognise that the landscape of sexual and reproductive health will continue to change and evolve, driven by changes in our population and its diverse needs. In collaboration with stakeholders who are committed to taking ownership and responsibility for the successful implementation of this strategy, we aim to continue to meet the evolving needs of our community and ensure that our sexual and reproductive health services are inclusive, effective, and responsive to the diverse needs of our population.

• Promote relationships and sex education (RSE), and sexual and reproductive health education through the life course, targeting disproportionately affected and underserved groups.
• Improved prevention of STIs and HIV, and rapid, targeted diagnosis and access to treatment for STIs and HIV.
• Improved HIV prevention including the increased uptake of PrEP (medicine taken to prevent HIV) amongst underserved groups. 
• Increased reproductive choice and prevention of reproductive related ill-health.
• Increased role of the wider community in promoting positive sexual and reproductive health, recognising its links to emotional health and well-being.
• Increased sexual health service provision and access (Richmond only)
• Identification of child sexual abuse that recognises links to longer term health outcomes (Wandsworth only)

• Pregnancy, childbirth, and the first six weeks of life
• Comprehensive education and information
• Contraception counselling and provision
• Gender-based violence protection, support and care
• Fertility and reproductive care
• Prevention and control of HIV and other STIs
• Safe abortion care
• Sexual function and psychosexual counselling