Umbrella, the sexual health service for Birmingham and Solihull, is taking research out of hospitals and into more diverse and inclusive community settings to target those who are most likely to benefit.

It is hoped increasing numbers of patients will participate and be given easier access to studies that offer new, innovative, safer, and more effective treatments.

Previously, patients would only be recruited by the Sexual Health and HIV Research team when they attended the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) or Whittall Street Clinic. Now, for the first time, clinicians are tapping into the broader patient population by expanding recruitment to the Boots clinic in the city centre and the Erdington Clinic.

“It’s about bringing the research opportunity to where the people go and what fits into their lifestyle,” said Tessa Lawrence, Sexual Health and HIV Research Manager at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the QEHB and the Umbrella service.

“The study that we have in the satellite clinics at the moment is a fairly basic survey but it will be just the beginning. Now that we have established research opportunities in the satellite clinics, in the future we could be bringing research that offers direct benefits to participating patients and the wider NHS.”

The RIISH (Reducing Inequality in Sexual Health) survey is being conducted by University College London (UCL) and Public Health England (PHE). The survey is currently underway at 16 sites across England, including the Umbrella services. The Sexual Health and HIV Research Team, led by Professor Jonathan Ross, has been recruiting for the survey since May 2016 and aims to recruit 960 participants over a four-month period. The survey is administered using iPads in waiting rooms among people aged 15 and above attending the clinics and will only take around 20 minutes of patients’ time.

The overall goal of the study is to understand behavioral as well as socio-cultural drivers of sexual health inequalities in England, especially among key populations. The findings will help inform the development and delivery of timely and tailored interventions to maximise patient and public health benefit.

A second study, SAFETXT, involves texting 16–24 year-olds to encourage them to adopt safer sex behavior after coming to clinic with a positive gonorrhoea or chlamydia test. The aim is that by targeting young people through technology, they will adopt safer sex practices.

To find out more about Umbrella, visit the website:

• Umbrella Health