The Harley Street Health Centre, a private GP and testing service, announced today the launch of its new Family Planning and Sexual Health Clinic, providing necessary but often inaccessible procedures and treatments with no specialist referral requirement.

Managing Director, Alya Shakir commented: “At our last clinical meeting, we recognised that procedures such as coil fitting and removal and family planning services in general, as well as fast access to treatment for UTIs, sexually-transmitted diseases and gynecological symptoms are in high demand but have become increasingly difficult to access.

We took the decision to enrich our team with a new, highly-experienced senior specialist nurse team and to deepen the training of our existing clinical teams.

We are currently working also to further expand the service to ensure that trans and non-binary patients have access to appropriate gynecological and sexual health support with appropriately-trained nurses and clinicians.”

New services include:

• Coil fitting and removal
• Implant fitting and removal
• Contraceptive injections
• Family planning consultations
• Symptomatic sexual health treatment
• UTI diagnosis and treatment
• Fast access to ultrasounds and other screening

Clinical director, Dr. Enam Abood commented, “We have been working to address gender bias in primary care, an area which, as female-led management and the clinical team we feel well-placed to lead on.

For example, women report that they have to attend a GP consultation, on average, ten times before they are referred to a gynecologist for endometriosis. And the horror stories of long waiting times for treatment for UTIs and symptomatic sexual health and thrush are growing in prevalence. Women should not have to live in pain or discomfort.

At the same time, we recognise that as a private provider, we have to find more affordable ways for women to access these services which do not necessarily require the commitment of a consultation with a private GP.

So we are delighted that our new specialist nurse team is now able to treat a wide range of acute conditions from UTIs to pelvic inflammatory disease to STIs, at a greatly reduced in-person consultation fee.”