Referrals – Cheshire West and Chester

LARC complex referrals

Before making a referral to sexual health services for a complex removal or fitting or a referral for a vulnerable patient please review the LARC referral guidance

Please complete the complex LARC referral form and send form via email with the  subject heading Complex LARC Referral to: cwac.shreferrals@hcrgcaregroup.com

Outreach Services

We provide bespoke targeted outreach to:

• Young people
• LGBTQ+ communities
• The homeless
• Drug/alcohol misuse
• Sex workers
• Asylum seekers
• Romany Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

We have partnered with fellow specialists Body Positive, who are a Cheshire based charity working in the fields of sexual health and LGBT+ awareness.

We aim to provide quick, easy, and confidential access to our service. The best way to access our outreach services is to email CWCSH@hcrgcaregroup.com and we aim to respond within 5 working days.

Primary care urgent referral form

The primary care urgent referral form should be completed by primary care colleagues across Cheshire West and Chester to refer patients from their practice into the specialist sexual health service.

Urgent referrals can be made for the patients below:

• Patients who have tested positive for Gonorrhoea/Syphilis or HIV
• Patients who require an IUD (copper coil) for emergency contraception

This form should be completed by a registered professional.

We aim to contact your patients within 48 hours of a referral (or the next working day if this is a bank holiday or weekend) appropriate to the reason for referral.

PrEP referral form

Please complete the PrEP referral form and send the form via email with the subject heading: PrEP referral to: cwac.shreferrals@hcrgcaregroup.com

For more information on PrEP please visit PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) | Terrence Higgins Trust (tht.org.uk)

Psychosexual counselling

What is Psychosexual Counselling?

The therapy uses an integrative approach to working with sexual problems.

• This includes Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which helps to reframe how you think and what you can do to address the difficulties.
• Systemic Therapy includes identifying how problematic patterns in relationships might contribute to the problem.
• Psychodynamic Therapy which will include looking at how current issues might have a link with the past. It can assist people to develop more effective coping strategies.

What problems can be referred?

• Loss of desire
• Pain during sex or inability to have penetrative sex.
• Difficulty in achieving or maintaining an erection.
• Ejaculation problems
• Difficulties with orgasm
• Vulval Pain
• Vaginismus

What happens during the initial assessment?

• The purpose of this is to gather further information about the problems a patient has described and for the specialist Doctor to determine if psychosexual therapy is appropriate. It also gives the patient an opportunity to ask any questions they might have.
• The patient does not need to be in a relationship to attend psychosexual therapy. If they are in a relationship then with the patient’s permission, the partner may be invited to attend.
• All sessions are confidential and onward referral will only happen with the patient’s consent. It is possible a referral to physiotherapy, Talking Therapies etc. might be appropriate.

How many appointments?

It is difficult to estimate exactly how many appointments will be required as this will depend upon the nature and complexity of the problem. Therapy will be reviewed on a regular basis and can be ended at any time although a planned ending is preferred.

Following a successful outcome, patients are reviewed after three months and if there are no further problems patients will be discharged.

How to access the service?

This service is by appointment only. The referral form should be completed by a GP or a healthcare professional is required.

Referrals should be sent via email to cwac.shreferrals@hcrgcaregroup.com

Referral for LNG-IUD fit for HRT only

Cheshire West and Chester Sexual Health are not commissioned for HRT, however, we are supporting General Practice where possible with the provision of IUS coil fitting for HRT.

• Patients should be referred into the service by General Practice.
• The referral form should be completed by your GP, self-referral will not be accepted.

Referral for IUS fit for heavy menstrual bleeding only

The Mirena IUS is highly effective in treating women with heavy and painful periods and is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for women who do not respond to tablet treatments. Patients can be referred via the GP or self-referral. The referral form should be completed by a registered professional and sent to: cwac.shreferrals@hcrgcaregroup.com