More user-friendly services for young people in Wales

More user-friendly services for young people in Wales

Keywords: Young people, Health service, Wales

Wales currently has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe and evidence suggests that emergency contraception can help to reduce this rate. In 1998, the conception rate for 15-19-year-old women in Wales was 71.8 per 1,000 compared to a rate of 64.4 in England. Approximately two-thirds of these conceptions resulted in birth and one-third in abortion. To combat this, a campaign has been launched to promote awareness of emergency contraception. An information pack is being distributed to health professionals, including GPs,family planning practitioners, pharmacists, genitourinary medicine consultants and accident and emergency departments, which includes the latest clinical guidelines on emergency contraception. However, research commissioned by the National Assembly for Wales suggests that inaccessible services, fear of a lack of confidentiality and judgemental attitudes amongst some service providers are some of the barriers that prevent young women from seeking emergency contraception. As part of the campaign, therefore, the National Assembly is encouraging health professionals to provide more accessible and user-friendly services for young people, and has included information about making services"user-friendly" in the information pack. Health professionals are being encouraged to register their emergency contraception services as "approachable"and "user-friendly", and registered services will be able to display a campaign sticker assuring young people that the service provided is confidential and non-judgemental.

Suzanne McKeown, sexual health advisor in the Health Promotion Division of the National Assembly, said:

Talking about sex and contraception can be embarrassing, particularly for young people. As such, the role of the professional is vital. Our research shows that teenagers want to be assured that they will not be judged when obtaining emergency contraception and that anything they say will be treated in confidence.

The emergency contraception campaign includes a public education programme to raise awareness of the availability and benefits of emergency contraception and promote the use of a telephone help-line for young people to obtain further advice and information. The campaign is one of a number of measures to tackle teenage pregnancy in Wales set out in the National Assembly document "A strategic framework for promoting sexual health in Wales: post-consultation action plan". Other measures include new guidance on sex education in schools and action to increase young people's access to sexual health information, advice and services.