The UK has worryingly high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe, with the North East of England commonly topping national figures.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of new STI cases seen in Genito-urinary Medicine (GUM) clinics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland doubled from 669,291 to 1,332,910 between 1991 and 2001.
But the news isn’t all bad. There has been a downward trend in the number of under-18 pregnancies in the UK over the past decade. Nevertheless, 2005 still saw 39,804 recorded teenage conceptions, nearly half of which were legally terminated.
Figures published by Equality Strategy, a division of Kent County Council, indicate a 22% reduction in under-18 conceptions in the Gateshead area – a positive reflection on the quality of sexual health education and services available in the region – however local people still encounter problems.
Sexual health workers in Gateshead already take their contraception services out to the user – for example, workers make home visits or travel to schools and other public places to meet patients.
However, Newcastle or South Shields are currently the nearest places with facilities for testing and treating sexually transmitted infections. This is a long way to travel for those without personal transport, or with limited time or low incomes.
The result is that, often, the people who need the most help fall through the net. Ill-considered opening times, unwelcoming environments, a lack of information about the services available, poor transport links and concerns over privacy all discourage individuals from going to sexual health clinics.
The Department of Health’s National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV is already aware of this problem and, as a result, has provided funding for a new sexual health service in Gateshead.
DaSH (Design and Sexual Health) was a design project set up to generate ideas and suggestions to make sexual health services easier to access and use for people in Gateshead.
The project was led by health service design consultancy Design Options, which worked alongside Gateshead Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Centre for Design Research at Northumbria University.
Stakeholder mapping
Before they could begin hosting any co-design activities or developing preliminary ideas, the design team had to invest a considerable amount of time and energy in establishing good working relationships with people and organisations in the community.
Design Options created a visual representation of the numerous organisations, community groups and individuals involved, as well as the different ways these groups would interact with each other during the project.
Visualising systems and processes in this way is known as stakeholder mapping. The main benefit is that it provides a clear overview of what are often complex situations, so that designers can literally picture what is going on.
Dott 07
Designs of the time '07 (Dott07) was a year-long series of design projects run by the Design Council and the regional development agency One NorthEast to involve local people in exploring how design can improve everyday life. www.dott07.com
