Sexual health

See Female Genital Mutilation below

STI Foundation (STIF)
The STIF Competency Programme is a nationally recognised training and assessment qualification in sexual health developed and administered by the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) . The STIF Foundation Course is suitable for nurses, HCAs, health advisers and doctors from primary care, contraception/sexual health services.

Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare 

  • The FSRH offers SRH Essentials for Primary Care, a one day course aimed specifically at healthcare practitioners working in primary care settings.
  •  The FSRH Diplomais aimed at doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, physician associates or other healthcare professionals registered in the UK and Ireland, working in primary care, community and integrated sexual health services. The Diploma is a blended learning package.
  • e-learning for Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (e-SRH) is aimed at healthcare staff delivering non-specialist sexual and reproductive healthcare in a community setting.

eHIV-STI is an extensive e-learning programme developed by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians in partnership with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare. It includes around 140 sessions of e-learning incorporating video clips and case studies covering large parts of the knowledge components of the sexual health and HIV (Genitourinary Medicine) specialist training curriculum. Many of the modules are relevant to those in primary care wanting to increase their knowledge in the area of sexual health and HIV.

The Primary Care Women’s Health Forum is dedicated to the education and support of healthcare professionals across the UK caring for female patients. The Forum offers a range of training opportunities, including educational meetings and webinars. Recordings of past webinars are available on the Publications page.

The RCGP Menstrual Wellbeing Toolkit, developed in partnership with Endometriosis UK, is an ‘easy to use’, logical, evidence-based resource for GPs and other primary care clinicians to help diagnose, support and manage problems caused by menstrual dysfunction.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are an estimated 137 000 women in the UK affected by FGM.  Learn more from the FGM FACTS AND FIGURES awareness-raising poster. See the latest UK figures  here.

NHS organisations have statutory responsibilities to make sure that staff are appropriately trained in relation to FGM. Resources available include:


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Page last reviewed: 27 November, 2020