High teenage pregnancy rates in the UK reflect low levels of contraceptive use. Young people have a negative perception of contraceptive services and experience significant practical barriers to their use. Dedicated young people’s services are considered an effective way to improve access. However, it is costly to provide two parallel services, and competition for resources between two services limits the opening hours of both. We have piloted an alternative approach. We provide quality mainstream services with extended hours and no appointment necessary. This is combined with targeted outreach to facilitate the access by the under-25s. The outreach program includes developing close links between the clinic and local schools, youth services, social services, and voluntary sector organizations. This paper presents one part of the evaluation of this service.
Patients registering in the six months before and 18 months after the new service’s development completed an anonymous questionnaire. This collected demographic details and data on their source of information about the service.
This model of contraceptive service provision significantly increases service access by young people. It represents an effective alternative to dedicated services for young people.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/28/2/90
