NHS Berkshire West and partner Reading Borough Council are making successful in-roads to reducing teenage conception in the town.
This follows the publication on February 24 2010 of figures by the national Teenage Pregnancy Unit that reveal Reading has now seen a third consecutive year of reduction in under-18 conception rates.
For 2006 the Reading rate was 54.3 per 1,000 females aged 15-17 (the standard measure). For 2007 it was 51.6 and the provisional figure for 2008 is 46.0. There has been a reduction of 27% since 1998.
Charles Waddicor, Chief Executive of NHS Berkshire West, said: "I welcome the drop in the rate of teenage pregnancies in Reading. This decrease has been the result of the far reaching work we have carried with Reading Borough Council. We are providing good advice on contraception and the message about safer sex appears to be getting through. Reading’s Walk-in Health Centre is a valuable resource in reducing conception rates among teenagers.
"Our priority is to establish a firm and sustainable downward trend in teenage conception rates and increase the proportion of teenage parents in education, training or employment to 60% and to reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion for them and their children."
John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said: "I’m delighted to see that all the hard work that the Council and NHS Berkshire West have put into reducing the rate of teenage pregnancies in Reading – and especially the efforts and resources we have put into educating our young people about this vitally important aspect of their lives – has now begun to pay off in a sustained and robust improvement. It has taken great commitment by everyone who works with young people to achieve this improvement and we are determined to do all we can to continue to reduce the level of teenage pregnancies further."
NHS Berkshire West and Reading Borough Council have based their success on the following actions:
* Consultation with young Reading people to hear their views about the rebranding of sexual health services for young people and future media campaigns
* The Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Partnership Board is now jointly chaired by the Chief Executive of NHS Berkshire West, Charles Waddicor, and Reading’s Director of Education and Children’s Services, Anna Wright.
* Appointed a specialist Reading advisor to work with schools to improve sex and relationship education. Young people have told us that they want more input on managing emotions and relationships and good information about contraception
* A pharmacy scheme funded by NHS Berkshire West continues to run. This ensures that young people in Reading can access Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) for free at 16 pharmacies across Reading.
* A Sexual Health Reading Outreach Nurse has been appointed, whose primary responsibilities are to provide sexual and reproductive health services to the most vulnerable and at risk young people in Berkshire West.
* The re-commissioning of Body Zone Clinics – young people’s health drop-in services provide information, advice and referral on all health issues, specifically sexual health and contraception advice
* The Peer education service delivered by Barnardo’s has trained 15 young people who deliver sex and relationship education to their peers
* The Reading C Card scheme was launched in March 2009 and provides young people under-19 better access to sexual health information and free condoms, leading in turn to a greater awareness about safer sex, unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Young people who want further information about services provided by NHS Berkshire West and Reading Borough Council to reduce teenage conceptions should contact the Teenage Pregnancy Team on 0118 966 7640.
Reading Borough Council
