Coventry and Warwickshire Sexual Health
In 2024, HCRG Care Group launched the Heart of England Sexual Health (HESH) service for Coventry and Warwickshire, serving almost one million people. With £2m invested in new high street clinics, and a fully integrated digital offer via SH:24, the service is raising visibility and delivering discreet, high-quality care. Digital uptake is strong, and we’re expanding outreach capacity to build prevention further into our services and the wider community.
Coventry and Warwickshire Sexual Health
HCRG Care Group mobilised the Coventry and Warwickshire service in 2024 to serve a population of 953,000, and we quickly moved away from hospital sites to the community and high street – investing upfront in four new purpose-built clinics in Coventry, Rugby, Leamington Spa and Nuneaton, supported by spoke clinics, digital provision and expanded outreach.
Visit Service WebsiteServices include:
- System leadership of sexual health services
- High street sexual health clinics
- Management of GP and pharmacy provision
- In-clinic and digital STI and HIV testing and treatment
- PrEP HIV Prevention
- Family Planning
- Contraception and LARC provision
- Digital sexual health advice
- Dedicated outreach nursing teams
- Training programmes for partners
This service is led by
Robert Flack
Regional Director
Having undertaken leadership roles in the commercial, not for profit, social enterprise and NHS sectors, Robert now works to continuously improve our teams, relationships and services at HCRG Care Group.
Our £2m upfront investment to relocate clinics to high streets and shopping centres
This is a key part of the Sexual Health Hub, which makes services visible and accessible while ensuring confidentiality and discretion, and supports the shift from hospital to community.
The new clinics will also be more cost effective in the longer term than the previous NHS locations, so while it’s an upfront investment for us, the efficiency – and the added benefit of a refurbished high street – will continue to serve the community even after our contract in the region ends.
The service is supported by a multidisciplinary team
Comprised of doctors, nurses, outreach staff and administrators, and a dedicated single point of access (SPA) manages bookings, referrals and triage, ensuring people are directed to the right care first time and can be empowered to self-manage their health where appropriate.
Meanwhile we’re in the process of developing eight outreach clinics
To reach areas where there is greatest need, so we can focus on at-risk groups and change community health for good while maintaining universal access.
Our partnership with SH:24 is the driving new kind of digital provision
Residents can STI testing, contraception, clinic timetables, self-triage tools and access other forms of assistance online, in more than 140 languages and with accessibility tools such as browse aloud/easy read. Uptake has exceeded expectations, and we’re aiming to see 80-85% of positive cases using digital provision to access online treatment.
Engaging partners in pathway development
Our strategic lead, a new role in the service, is engaging partners in pathway development including for GPs and pharmacies. Together they are designing new ways of working, ensuring digital provision is clinically-backed and reaches communities where it is needed, so our vision for prevention is fulfilled.
One example is our partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust (THT)
The leading national sexual health promotion and HIV charity, the THT team is co-locating with our clinical outreach nursing team, and they’re working together to reach high-risk groups, including sex workers, MSM, ChemSex participants and students at Coventry and Warwick universities. THT deliver advocacy, support and health promotion, including STI testing in deprived areas and on-campus campaigns.
Our Quality Promise underpins delivery
Benchmarking services against national standards while tailoring them to local need, co-design of pathways with local communities, and staff who are supported to be highly motivated and qualified. In line with this promise, our Practice Educator is supporting the upskilling of the workforce across Coventry and Warwickshire.
A key element of this is the launching of an FSRH-accredited LARC training programme for GPs, with support from industry partners Bayer and Organon. This follows a successful pilot in Greater Manchester, where LARC activity increased by 78% in the two years.
Looking ahead
We’re working in partnership with commissioners to see how we can offer more for sex workers and people with learning disabilities, and we’re looking at further opportunities to collaborate with community organisations that already have history with these groups.
Visit Service WebsiteWhat’s happening at a glance
£2m upfront investment in four new high street hub clinics making services visible and accessible, and more cost-efficient over the long term.
Single Point of Access for no-wrong-door navigation and efficient triage.
Integrated digital model delivered by SH:24 partners is resulting in a channel shift from calls to digital provision.
Development of eight outreach ‘spoke’ clinics is giving us greater capacity for outreach.
Partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust is growing the service’s capacity for specialist advocacy, health promotion and outreach.
Upskilling is taking place across the workforce and primary and secondary care partners, including for LARC delivery.
Our partners for this service
