Oxfordshire Sexual Health
Website: https://www.sexualhealthoxfordshire.nhs.uk/
Main training sites: Churchill Hospital, Old Road, OX3 7LE and Orchard Health Centre, Cope Road, Banbury OX16 2EZ
Training is led by 4 consultants and 2 honorary consultants in this teaching hospital. There are usually 2 speciality trainees in post, plus on trainee in sexual and reproductive healthcare. Usually 2 years of training are spent at Oxford. Training takes place in the GUM outpatient clinic, with some clinics held in Banbury. There are also peripheral clinics in Abingdon, Bicester, Didcot, East Oxford, Kidlington, Wantage and Witney, which trainees may get the opportunity to work in. The main Churchill site hosts a variety of clinics, including general GUM and contraception appointments and walk-in, vulval clinic, psychosexual, HIV and complex contraception. Trainees are also expected to lead a weekly specialist clinic (‘referrals clinic’) for complex and follow-up cases, also allowing experience in procedures such as skin biopsies and hyfrecation. Trainees usually have one HIV clinic per week caring for HIV patients (clinic cohort approx. 600) at the service. When inpatient HIV care is needed, patients usually are admitted to beds on the nearby infectious diseases unit.
During this post the trainee will normally attend a short placement with microbiology in the lab, along with experience in hepatitis clinics, and dermatology. Education is provided through weekly departmental training, and monthly HIV MDTs with infectious diseases. There is protected time for the 3-monthly Deanery-wide GUM teaching afternoons. There is a well-equipped library on site. Trainee doctors share an office with access to a PC. Trainees are expected to run and deliver sexual health teaching for Oxford University Medical Students during their attachment in GUM.
Reading
Website: https://www.safesexberkshire.nhs.uk/
Florey Clinic, 21A Craven Road, Reading, RG1 5AN
Training is led by 3 consultants in this district general hospital. There is usually one trainee in this 1-year post, with most training being performed from clinics held at the Florey unit GUM clinic. There is also a peripheral clinic at Thatcham. The service is walk-in from 7am to 7pm. Clinics include general GUM, HIV, contraception, erectile dysfunction service, specialist clinic for men who have sex with men (MSM) and hepatitis clinic. The team also have good links with the inpatient teams, and HIV inpatient care is joint-led with the GUM team. There is a monthly radiology MDT and lipid virtual MDT. There are approx. 600 HIV+ patients cared for by the service. The trainee will have one HIV clinic per week. There is a weekly protected educational meeting.
Slough
Garden Clinic, Upton Hospital, Albert Street, Slough, SL1 2BJ
Training is led in this community based trust by 3 consultants, with one trainee in this 1-year post. There are a variety of clinics, from general GUM/contraception walk-in and appointments, HIV, specialist contraception, family HIV clinic and young person’s clinic. Inpatient HIV care is provided for by the neighbouring acute trust (Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health), with weekly MDT ward rounds on the Wexham site. This is one of the longest standing fully integrated sexual health services in the country, and trainees will be expected to complete their DFSRH (contraception training) during this post. Attainment of competencies in insertion of subdermal contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices could normally be completed during this post. Slough is the most ethnically diverse area in the UK outside of London, meaning a varied caseload and experience of managing complex population groups such as refugees, immigrants, young persons, language barriers, cultural and religious barriers and of course FGM. There is a regional sexual assault referral service located nearby, meaning cross referrals are common. This is a busy HIV unit with approx. 600 HIV+ patients. The trainee will have one HIV clinic per week. There is protected time each week for educational meetings.