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Policy & Community Engagement

Category: Health systems

(P115) The need for improved sexual health care of racially minoritised communities and the introduction of the Racially Minoritised Communities Special Interest Group (RMC SIG): what have we learned so far

Tuesday, July 25, 2023
16:00 – 18:00 CST
Project: To convene a multi-disciplinary special interest group (SIG) for racially minoritised communities (RMC) at The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), the leading professional organisation dealing with aspects of sexual healthcare (SH) in the United Kingdom (UK).

Issue: Thanks to the NHS, SH and HIV care remain free at the point of access in the UK. However, there are disparities in outcomes, particularly among RMCs, who experience a higher burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), barriers to accessing SH services and are underrepresented in research. Whilst racial disparities in SH and HIV outcomes are well documented and have persisted for decades, the drivers of disparities are poorly understood, and limited initiatives have been developed to address these, with an insufficient policy focus. A BASHH SIG is crucial to drive a national approach to improve SH and HIV outcomes amongst RMCs.



Results: In 2021, a SIG for RMCs, consisting of clinicians, academics and community organisations, was created to make meaningful change through research, quality improvement and policy change. Core aims of the RMC SIG include: promoting the best SH clinical practice for RMCs at a strategic and policy level; responding to local and national consultations on behalf of BASHH pertaining to the needs of RMCs; contributing to the development of guidelines; and ensuring targets and commitments are met through national and local audits. The SIG has already completed various projects including publishing articles in the BMJ STI journal, collaborating with other SIGs to ensure the needs of RMCs are considered during the planning and implementation of projects and guidelines, and providing evidence to the HIV/AIDS All Party Parliamentary Group community inquiry on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

Lessons learned: The values we adopt to actively address health inequalities should be reflected in national strategy, policy-making and demonstrated by improved health outcomes. A coordinated national approach is needed, by involving healthcare professionals, academics, community organisations, and patient representative groups. We endeavour to formulate and implement interventions in clinical and social research, education and health provision that evolve with the ever-changing and specific needs of the communities we serve.