Sexual Health
Background
On this page
National Policy Context
The DASH Project
Sexual Health Information provided by ISD
Sexually transmitted infections
Teenage pregnancy
Abortion or termination of pregnancy
In January 2005 the Scottish Government launched Respect and Responsibility: A Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health. This sets out a framework for improving sexual health in Scotland and access to information and services, whilst allowing flexibility for local services to respond to local needs. It also recognises that sexual health is not just the absence of disease, but includes an intricate range of ethical, moral, cultural and social issues. The strategy also signals the importance of high quality information relating to sexual health.
The National Sexually Health Advisory Committee (NSHAC) provides advice on policy and monitors and supports the implementation of Respect and Responsibility, taking forward key aspects of the strategy aimed at influencing Scottish culture, sex and relationships education and clinical services.
In recognition that we need to take a wider view of the data required to provide high quality sexual health information, two Divisions of NHS National Services Scotland (ISD and HPS), are collaborating in the DASH Project (Data Augmentation for Sexual Health). This joint data development work will support service planning and redesign for sexual health by providing information to support and monitor the implementation of Respect and Responsibility.
For information about data development in this area go to the DASH Project pages .
Sexual Health Information provided by ISD
ISD's current portfolio of sexual health information is divided into three main areas:
Sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections affect people of all ages in Scotland, but their incidence is particularly marked in those under 25. In order to effectively monitor rates of infections across Scotland, we launched STI Surveillance Scotland (STISS) in 2004. STISS, which replaced the ISD(D)5 returns, is a secure web-based data collection system in use in all GUM clinics in Scotland. STISS uses anonymised data to report on national rates of STIs treated in GUM clinics. Together with HPS, who provide national data from other sources such as laboratories we publish an 
annual report on STIs, including HIV [8Mb 
].
Many teenage girls experience unintended or unwanted pregnancies, although for some young people this is a positive life decision. With a higher rate of teenage pregnancy than most other western European countries, reducing unintended teenage pregnancy is a national target for the Scottish Government. Teenage pregnancy is also linked to deprivation with the rates of teenage pregnancy in deprived areas more that treble those of the least deprived areas.
We publish information on the number and rates of pregnancies in young women under the age of twenty, including pregnancies ending in birth and pregnancies resulting in abortion or miscarriage.
Information on our website includes:
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Trend information on teenage pregnancy
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Information on teenage pregnancy by area of residence
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Information on the outcome of teenage pregnancies
Abortion or termination of pregnancy
We get our information on the number of therapeutic abortions from the notifications to the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland of terminations of pregnancy under the Abortion Act 1967.
We also include data on therapeutic abortions performed in England & Wales upon women from Scotland. We get these data from the Office for National Statistics.
Numbers of early terminations have been stable in the last five years and increasingly terminations are medical (through taking pills) rather than surgical. Deprivation is still an issue and the abortion rate in the most deprived areas is almost double that in less deprived areas.
Maternity
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