Last week Your Herefordshire reported on the news about an antibiotic resistant strain of gonorrhea that has been found in the Midlands.
Matt from Your Herefordshire was then invited to meet the team at the Sexual Health clinic which is situated at 15 St Owen Street in Hereford.
Kate Bayliss is the Service Lead and Specialist Nurse in Sexual and Reproductive Health at the clinic.
Matt noticed Kate has a West Midlands accent and asked her what brought her to Hereford.
Kate told Your Herefordshire “I’m from Wolverhampton originally, but have lived all over the country. I’ve been based in London, Brighton and most recently South Wales. I was offered the job here in Hereford and moved to the city.”
Kate continues, “We have three nurses here, two female and one male, between them all they have around seventy years experience. Peter is our male nurse and he specialises in LGBTQ+. We also have three speciality doctors. You can also get contraception from us, which is useful if you’re anxious about making an appointment with your GP or aren’t registered with a doctor”
I ask Kate if the clinic is just open to Herefordians, “Anybody can get in contact with us” says Kate, “Sometimes we have people over here visiting and they can come and see us to get tested if they wanted too.”
Kate goes on to say, “We currently aren’t accepting walk ins though, you need to book an appointment on 01432 483693. Please be patient though if we don’t answer straightaway, we unfortunately don’t have a queueing system, so please keep trying when phoning us”
Since July 2021 and Covid restrictions were lifted Matt asked if there has been an increase in testing. “Yes there has, plus this time of year we get all the people that were out over Christmas as well and enjoying parties, we also have a young persons clinic on a Wednesday afternoon”
The word asymptomatic has been prevalent in recent years due to Covid, but Kate says if you are sexually active it’s best to get regularly checked, “Some people may have an infection, but not display any immediate symptoms, if somebody has been infected and has been seeing multiple partners and is anxious about telling their previous partners, we can also provide a service where we can text or email people that could be exposed to a sexual infection.”
As somebody that grew up watching Eastenders. Mark Fowler was probably the first major television character in the UK to be diagnosed as HIV positive. In fact on the Drama channel they screen two classic episodes a day in the mid afternoon. Matt watched it the other day and it’s currently in 1999 and Mark has been subjected to negativity from a new arrival in Albert Square.
Kate tells me, “HIV treatment has moved on massively the past 25 years, there is a drug called PrEP which can be taken to prevent HIV infection. Also if you think you have been exposed to the virus, you can take a drug called PEP. If this is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it can then potentially stop the virus taking hold of your body.”
Is HIV around in Hereford Matt asked Kate? “It is, but very low in numbers, we can organise a HIV test at the clinic, but if the test is positive, then it is referred to the hospital for the next stage of medication.”
Kate adds, “We are finding in the UK that HIV is being spread more through heterosexual sex. I personally think people have become a lot more complacent in that category with regard to protection, and that is why we are seeing it spreading through that group a lot more.”
Matt went on to ask Kate how many people they see during a month at the Hereford clinic. “I’ve got the stats here for you as I wanted to be give you some numbers. From July to September 2021 we saw 1,440 people, from October to December 2021 it was 1,236, but we want to see more people, please don’t be worried if you are think there is something wrong, if you have come in contact with an STI we can test and treat”
How does the testing process work? “You would need to call us on 01432 483693 and then we can go through the process with you. If you don’t have any symptoms, tests can be discreetly sent to your address. If you have symptoms or any concerns you will be given the opportunity to speak with a nurse”
Head to their Facebook page for more information -> (1) Sexual Health Services 4 Herefordshire | Facebook
We have also shared a what happens at the clinic guide below.
