Sexual Health Service Development in NI Prisons (V1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving the sexual health of male offenders within Northern Ireland's Prison System: A nurse led initiative
IRAS ID
224742
Contact name
Carmel Kelly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
To improve the sexual health of male offenders within Northern Ireland's Prison System we are trialling a new and innovative model for prison healthcare in this nurse-led initiative. The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust (SEHSCT)is responsible for prison healthcare and is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of this population. Current sexual health provision in prisons is Consultant-led, only available for patients who exhibit symptoms, and variable waiting times to be seen is problematic. There is no nurse involvement and no health promotion focus for these patients or the wider prison population. This project seeks to expand the roles and responsibilities of nurses by training them to i) provide a sexual health check-up for all male prisoners, ii) take their sexual histories confidently, sensitively and non-judgementally, iii) treat uncomplicated cases of sexually transmitted infections, and iv) develop a robust pathway for dealing with partner notification and referring complicated cases (Gonorrhoea, Syphilis and HIV) to the Consultant. This is important because routine sexual health check-ups are advised for the general public and most infections can be cured if caught early. In addition, we will work the young men and nurses in Hydebank Wood College to co-create an intervention that can be used with male patients in prison as a sexual health promotion tool. The project has two components, i) training prison nurses to deliver a sexual health service, and, ii) evaluating the impact of the training, and exploring the personal experiences of those involved, to gain an understanding of the barriers and facilitators of providing a sexual health service in the prison context. This information will be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme, and the process of participation, to improve the training, and transfer this knowledge of the implementation of the service to other contexts.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
17/NI/0082
Date of REC Opinion
30 May 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion