Brook Wirral

Updated 19 April 2022

Brook Young People is a young persons’ sexual health and wellbeing charity working with young people to promote their sexual health in the wider context of health and wellbeing. Brook offers clinical services, digital support, counselling and sex education.

Brook Wirral is contracted to provide a level two specialist sexual health service across the Wirral peninsula. This includes:

• sexual history taking and risk assessment
• pregnancy testing, referral for pregnancy advice for teenagers or referral to termination of pregnancy services
• provision of emergency contraception
• provision of contraceptive implants and intrauterine device insertion and removal
• HIV testing, including pre-test discussion and giving results
• signposting to appropriate sexual health services
• screening for sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and testing of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis) in men (excluding men who have sex with men) and women,
• screening for Hepatitis B,
• sexual health promotion,
• condom distribution
• psychosexual assessment and referral for psychosexual problems
• All other contraception methods

The location is registered for the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder and injury, family planning and diagnostic and screening procedures. A registered manager is in place.

The service also operated satellite clinics across the Wirral peninsula in the acute health trust, schools and colleges of further education.

The service had not previously been inspected and this is the first inspection of the service at location level.

Updated 19 April 2022

• The service was clean and well maintained. Staff followed infection prevention procedures to keep patients safe. Patients accessing the service followed COVID -19 guidelines. Patient services were located on the ground floor for ease of access. One hundred percent of patients rated their experience of the service as very good or good.
• Staff followed best practice and national guidance, for example, national guidance on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) contraceptive services for under 25’s, and clinicians who performed intra uterine or subdermal implant procedures held a current faculty of sexual and reproductive health (FSRH) letter of competence.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. Patients said staff treated them well and with kindness. Feedback from patients who had completed the ‘I want great care’ questionnaire was continually positive about the way staff treated people. Patients reported that staff went “the extra mile” and their care and support exceeded their expectations.
• Managers planned and organised the service, so it met the changing needs of the local population. The service website offered information and advice and about sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, contraception (including methods and what to expect at appointments) and details of other health services including smoking cessation, substance misuse and breast and testicular checking. Appointments could be booked over the phone. the outreach service for young people saw patients to provide contraceptive and some sexual health services in schools, colleges of further education and local NHS acute trust to improve ease of access for patients.
• The service was well led, with a positive staff culture and good governance. Staff felt respected, supported and valued and were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff felt proud of the service they worked in and that they provided good care for patients. Staff spoke passionately about the work that they did and the patients that they worked with.

Updated 19 April 2022