Evaluation of sexual health services for young people in East Sussex

In 2008 Hastings and Rother PCT commissioned East Sussex County Council Children’s Services to deliver a range of targeted interventions aimed at disadvantaged young people in Hastings and Rother. The aim of the funding was to reduce health inequalities and provide early interventions to support young people through adolescence and early adulthood, with health outcomes to be aligned with the Choosing Health outcomes (DoH, 2004). Three of the targeted interventions implemented by East Sussex Children’s Services included a nurse-led sexual health service within schools and further education (FE) settings, the provision of Pulse Innov8 services; and a young men’s health worker service.

Project aims

Three inter-related evaluations thus form the focus of this report, and address the following five objectives/questions:

  1. To describe the number and characteristics of young people using the nurse-led sexual health provision, the YMHWS, and Pulse Innov8 services
  2. To describe the types and number of services being accessed
  3. To measure the number of young people who go on to access external services following a consultation with the nurse-led sexual health provision, young men’s health worker and Pulse Innov8, and to describe the external services used
  4. To describe the impact of:
    • The nurse-led sexual health provision had on reducing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) in young people aged 16-25 years across East Sussex
    • The Young Men’s Health Worker Service on increasing the uptake of health services among the most disadvantaged or at risk young men
  5. Pulse Innov8 on young people’s health behaviours and earlier engagement with health services
  6. To describe any added value of the respective services over and above services already offered to young people in East Sussex

Project impact

The findings of this evaluation clearly show that all three services (nurse-led sexual health provision, Pulse Innov8, and YMHWS) are highly valued by young people, and in many cases, appear to have had a considerable impact in terms of improved health and social outcomes with changes evident through young people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.

For many young people, the three services have increased confidence, esteem, skills, knowledge, and impacted positively on (health and social) behaviours, for example in relation to anger management, physical activity, diet, and substance misuse. For other young people, the impacts of the services have been no less than life-changing.

Careful consideration therefore should be given to the potential impacts on young people of reductions in service provision (e.g. decommissioning of the YMHWS and nurse-led provision, and reduction of Pulse Innov8 staff and services), and where possible, decommissioned services should be reinstated.

ESE-final-report-coverRead a copy of the full report or the executive summary.

Research team

Dr Nigel Sherriff

Carol Hall

Dr Lester Coleman

Output

Partners

East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT

Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP)

Coleman Research and Evaluation Services (CRES)