National Policy Context
Latest PublicationsPublished: 25 September 2012
Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Key Clinical Indicator (KCI)
Published: 26 June 2012
Teenage Pregnancies, year ending 31st December 2010
Published: 29 May 2012
Abortions Statistics, 2011
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In January 2005 the Scottish Government launched first phase of Respect and Responsibility: A Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health. The policy set out a framework for improving sexual health in Scotland and access to information and services, whilst allowing flexibility for local services to respond to local needs. It recognised that sexual health is not just the absence of disease, but includes an intricate range of ethical, moral, cultural and social issues.
From the beginning of Respect and Responsibility, the sexual health strategy has always signaled the importance of high quality information relating to sexual health.
The plan is nearing the end of its second phase, which shifted the focus of funding from supporting improvements in sexual health provision to achieving cultural and behavioural change. New developments within the second phase of the strategy included social marketing campaigns, led by the Scottish Government and NHS Health Scotland, as well as the publication of an HIV Action Plan in December 2009.
The Scottish Government are currently in the process of drafting a new sexual health framework which will outline the strategic aims for sexual health (both service provision and cultural/behavioural change) for 2011-2015. This framework is likely to encompass blood borne viruses (BBVs) such as HIV, Hep C and Hep B.
The National Sexual Health & HIV Advisory Committee (NSHHAC) provides expert advice to the Scottish Government on sexual health and HIV, acting as a forum for the development of policy in this respect and monitoring and supporting the implementation of the national sexual health strategy Respect and Responsibility and the sexual health/HIV components of related national strategies and action plans.
Data Augmentation for Sexual Health (DASH)
In recognition of the need to take a wider view of data to provide high quality sexual health information, two Divisions of NHS National Services Scotland (ISD and Health Protection Scotland), are collaborating in the Data Augmentation for Sexual Health (DASH) work. This joint data development work supports service planning and redesign for sexual health by providing information to support and monitor the implementation of sexual health policy/framework as well as the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) sexual health service standards.
This Sexual Health section presents information on a variety of topics. These include:
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Abortions
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
- Key Clinical Indicators (KCIs)
- Annual Report
- NHS Board Summaries
Click on the links above or in the left-hand margin to find more information about sexual health in Scotland.
Uses
Data Collection and Uses of Statistics on Sexual Health in Scotland 
[41kb] describes the main ways in which users access and use statistics produced by ISD on sexual health in Scotland.
