Hope House Opens its Doors to Service Users
16/10/2008
The new centre for the county’s specialist sexual health services, Hope House has now opened its doors and staff and service users are already benefitting from state of the art facilities.
This building provides the local population with access to integrated sexual health services in a high quality environment. The new build houses the county’s specialist Sexual Health Services (contraception and pregnancy advice, HIV, and Genito Urinary Medicine - GUM).
Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been working together with Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucestershire Police Authority on the plans and the new build will also house a county Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), which will open on October 27.
The SARC will provide victims of rape and sexual assault with medical care and counselling whilst offering the opportunity to report offences to the police in a secure, caring and confidential environment (anonymously if required).
Director of Public Health at Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, Dr Shona Arora said:
“This is a major step forward in service delivery. The new build brings together all of the specialist Sexual Health Services that were housed on the Gloucestershire Royal site and in nearby locations. It will support further development of a modern, efficient, integrated Sexual Health Service for the benefit of the local population.”
Services provided from the new Hope House include:
- a comprehensive contraception service, offering the full range of contraceptive methods and emergency contraception (no appointment needed)
- the county Pregnancy Advisory and Abortion Service
- a GUM service, offering walk-in clinics every day of the week Monday – Friday and also booked appointments, for anyone wanting sexual health screening or who is concerned they may have a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
- The County HIV and Hepatitis C out patient and testing service
- The Gloucestershire Chlamydia Screening Programme hub, offering free, self-taken tests
- The Sexual Assault Referral Centre.
Director of Service Delivery at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Steve Peak said:
“We are so pleased to be part of this joint project, which will make a substantial difference to the delivery of sexual health services in Gloucestershire. Hope House also offers a far better working environment for staff in carrying out their valuable work.”
Commenting on the SARC, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Chief Constable, Tim Brain said:
“Victims will be supported by improved and more sensitive co-ordination between these bodies and will receive professional care within a friendly, reassuring and caring environment. When it opens, the SARC will mark the completion of the project to bring services together on one site and a more co-ordinated future for local services.”
