STI diagnoses continue to rise among young people and condom usage appears to be waning, with many adopting a treatment rather than preventive attitude towards sex. Pharmacy staff can help encourage a healthier approach to sexual matters

Debate ensued at the end of last year following calls to lower the age of sexual consent to 15. Leading public health expert Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, argued that this change would enable younger sexually active teens to get easier access to NHS contraception and sexual health advice. Currently, around a third of teenagers have sex before the age of 16.

However, the Government and other advisory bodies have rejected the proposal, saying it’s not the way to tackle teen pregnancy and it also raises concerns about child protection. “FPA does not believe the legal age of consent needs to be changed. As it stands, the law is not intended to criminalise mutually agreed sexual activity between two young people of similar age and understanding, unless it involves abuse, exploitation or harm,” says the Family Planning Association (FPA). What the debate has done is raise the issue of sex education in schools and through health professionals, it’s effectiveness and how it can be improved.

Sex & relationship education

In schools, sex education has been upgraded to include relationships and is now called SRE – Sex & Relationship Education. However, while schools should make this a part of the curriculum, it’s not a statutory requirement. In May 2013, an OFSTED report found that schools are failing young people by not meeting guidance on SRE, meaning young people are not getting the information they need. “Children and young people repeatedly describe the SRE they receive as too little, too late and too biological,” says the FPA. “Good SRE is about giving young people appropriate knowledge about their bodies and relationships as well as instilling self-confidence and self-esteem,” says the FPA’s director of health and wellbeing, Natika H Halil.

'Studies have shown that good sex and relationship education can actually raise the age young people first try out sexual activity. If younger people don’t learn about sex and relationships from parents or teachers, they’ll certainly pick up messages from their friends, TV or magazines. These may be inaccurate, misleading or confusing. By talking with young people, we can help them make sense of this information and ensure they haven’t got strange, wrong or risky ideas,’ says the FPA.

Pharmacy staff are in a good position to offer advice and information as well as treatment on sexual health to young people as they’re trusted, accessible and convenient and can offer a degree of anonymity that teens may welcome. Raising awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is one area in particular where staff can play a wider role. “It appears from the rise in STI diagnoses that condom use is on the wane. Brook and the FPA believe that the campaigns which drove a significant upsurge in use of condoms, particularly in the 1980s, are unfortunately being forgotten about and we’re concerned that young people are relying on treatment rather than prevention,” says Natika.

Latest statistics from Public Health England show a five per cent rise in STI diagnoses, with chlamydia being the most common (206,912 cases), and a considerable number of cases of genital warts (73,893) and herpes (32,021). New gonorrhoea diagnoses are up 21 per cent too. People under the age of 25 experience the highest STI rates, with 64 per cent of chlamydia and 54 per cent of genital warts cases. Gonorrhea is also a concern as the global threat of antibiotic resistance grows.

Raising awareness in the pharmacy

Brook has developed question cards to encourage conversation and discussion about sex, sexuality and relationships. While developed for use in schools, they could prove equally useful in a pharmacy setting (go to: www.brook.org.uk/shop for details).

“Pharmacy staff can employ visual tools telling young customers that STI testing is available, offer leaflets about STI prevention and rates and make self-testing kits available at the counter,” advises Debbie Mennim, head of nursing at Brook. “Information slips about safe sex could be included in the prescription bags, specifically when issuing scripts for contraceptives and STI treatments. You could also put together pre-holiday advice and travel information covering safe sex messages,” she adds.

Pharmacies have shown that they can play an important role in giving contraceptive advice and services to young people. A pilot scheme in Southwark gave access to the Pill for over 16s in a bid to reduce teen pregnancies and usage of emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) in the area. In the Isle of Wight, under 16s are offered a month’s supply of the Pill when they ask for EHC, while Newcastle chain Whitworth Chemist offers a contraceptive implant and injection service.