County Durham Local Teenage Pregnancy Strategy - Full Document

2. Plans to disseminate and implement national guidance
(Guidance for health professionals on contraception for under 16s available
from autumn 2000).
After initial local guidelines are developed and a training programme for health
professionals on contraception for the under 16s is delivered, we will maintain
DoH guidance and work with professionals from partner agencies to ensure a
concerted and consistent approach.
3. Planning and use of mainstream funding to ensure services are
provided for young people using a variety of models and
approaches which are appropriate to the local context and the
needs and preferences of young people
Plans will be drawn up to assess the community clinics already in operation
and to test which of them could be most usefully changed into young people
specific clinics.
A variety of models will be used to ensure services are provided for young
people. Assessments will be made of each proposal, young people will be
consulted and their views will be taken into account when services are
planned. Issues, which will be considered, include:
• Confidentiality – the local implementation co-ordinator will ensure that the
confidentiality tool kit developed by the Royal College of General
Practitioners and Brook is being used and adhered to by General
Practices, Primary Care Groups and Trusts.
• Continued training for GPs, nurses and receptionists to ensure that
services available to young people meet their needs and preferences.
• Availability of condoms through distribution network schemes and
machines. Condom or c-cards will be available for use by young people
as well as older adults. In each of the pick up points the front of house
staff will be trained particularly to deal with issues of confidentiality and
other issues specifically relevant to young people.
• The issue of condom distribution in schools will be investigated and any
action taken will be with the full agreement of schools, governors, parents,
young people, the local education authority, school nurses, NHS Trusts,
PCGs and General Practices.
• In County Durham a pilot scheme is testing a credit card sized information
card. It will be given out by pharmacists to adults and young people who
request pregnancy testing kit. The card will list telephone numbers of a
range of local services. After evaluation, this will be replicated in
Darlington.
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