Sexual Health Services in Carlisle recently celebrated its 104th birthday making it one of the oldest services in the country according to records.
The records from Cumbria are being studied as part of a project called Histories of Sexual Health in Britain, 1918–1980.
The project is being led by Dr Anne Hanley from the University of Birmingham who recently visited the Sexual Health Clinic in Carlisle.
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust’s (NCIC) service still has the continuous records of every patient who has ever attended since October 1918 and Dr Hanley was reviewing patterns of clinic utilisation.
Dr Hanley explained: “Carlisle’s historical patient registers are being studied as part of the project to map changes in sexual health and healthcare.
“It was wonderful to be able to work with these records while Cumbria Sexual Health Services celebrated its 104th birthday.
“The historical Venereal Disease Service from which it grew was the first universal healthcare service free at the point of use.
“Looking through the records has revealed a lot of very interesting and important things about which we could only speculate”
Professor Matt Phillips, Associate Medical Director at NCIC commented: ““We’re all really proud to be providing a service that has been continuous for 104 years, carefully preserving the two key parts that have made improving sexual health possible which is absolute confidentiality and that all treatments are free.
“It is not lost on us that the service was free before the NHS had even been thought about, and our shared legacy of advocacy for people needing care.”
If you worked in or accessed sexual healthcare in Cumbria, or anywhere else in the UK before 1980, Dr Hanley and her team would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Dr Anne Hanley at: a.hanley@bham.ac.uk.
Cumbria Sexual Health Services provides free, confidential advice and support on a range of sexual health issues including treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraception including emergency contraception from their county wide clinics.
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