The national strategy for sexual health and HIV: implications for genitourinary medicine

The first ever national strategy for sexual health and HIV in England was published in July 2001 and proposes a comprehensive and holistic model for dealing with an increasing public health problem. The strategy covers the issues of prevention, service provision, commissioning of services, and the necessary requirements to support change. This paper concentrates on service issues and developments in relation to genitourinary medicine/HIV services, and outlines a model for providing these which attempts to do so around patients' needs, delivered through comprehensive and interlinked local networks of services.