At DurexHCP we want to publicise not only what is happening on the national stage but also initiatives in your local area. That's why 'Wrapped' in Blackburn, is exactly the sort of initiative we would like to hear about.

STIs and teenage pregnancy are now being 'Wrapped up' in Blackburn as Sharon Blanche, the Condom Scheme Co-ordinator for NHS Blackburn and Darwen, now explains. When I came into post in 2007, I was faced with a statistic of one in ten people carrying chlamydia, a growing rate of STIs in the under 25s and teenage girls dropping out of college due to pregnancy. Were health messages not getting through, or was there something else happening? I could not wait to investigate.

Understanding young people

Talking to young people, it became obvious that they were uncomfortable approaching the traditional local health services for condoms. Our young people come from diverse cultural backgrounds and I was keen to make sure they could access free condoms, in familiar non-threatening settings if they needed to. I knew that if our condom distribution scheme was going to work, a new approach would be needed.

The answer was 'Wrapped', our condom distribution scheme for people under the age of 25. We launched the scheme as a joint venture between the PCT and Brook with one simple aim: to make quality condoms accessible to young people at places they congregate - no more hunting around or going to the Family Planning Clinic, which can be off-putting for some. College seemed the logical place to start as this is where many young people begin to explore their sexuality. The scheme soon snowballed, and Wrapped has now expanded to 90 distribution points in venues around Blackburn and Darwen.

Condoms on the go!

The young people of Blackburn College were very pleased to hear about free condoms, but to drive them into actually collecting them, we needed to make condom distribution easy; it was not enough to simply say 'collect condoms from the first aid room at college' and expect people to turn up.

The way forward was to mobilise our condoms with the 'Wrapped to go' distribution trolley that we take around college, at times and places that coincide with their breaks.

It was vital for us to be accessible and visible. Equally important was to develop a rapport with the young people so they felt comfortable to return for repeat supplies and to recommend the scheme to their friends.

Following the huge success in the College we expanded the scheme to other venues such as youth centres, the college library, outreach projects, youth clubs, the children's centre, sports facilities, community centres, hostels and mother and baby units, schools and sixth forms and community information buses; there is not just one point where people congregate for condoms. The scheme has helped young people from minority groups access condoms without fear of a negative response or social or cultural judgement.

The benefits of quality

Right from the outset, we acknowledged the need to provide good quality condoms from a reputable brand to encourage people to actually use them. To help ensure usage, we will even get special condoms in on request.

In the last 12 months, Wrapped has dispensed over 60,000 condoms, over 2,800 people are registered with the scheme and of these approximately 25% return for repeat supplies. Young people using the scheme often comment that receiving the best, most reliable brand of condoms makes them more likely to use them.

The venues we have enrolled onto the scheme reflect our aim to reach people of all sexualities, race and diversity.

Providing support

It is not just a simple matter of condom distribution; we also work collaboratively with initiatives such as the Chlamydia Screening Programme; the HPV vaccine programme and 'Safer Nights Out' campaign. Training is an important element of our scheme and all staff in new venues are fully trained on aspects of our scheme before they can distribute condoms; this ensures a consistent, safe, quality driven service for our users regardless of which site they visit.

Getting results

The Wrapped scheme has been enthusiastically received by the young people, their parents and college staff. The college principal, Dave Bacon, is pleased with how the scheme has prevented teenage pregnancy rates: "We have a small number of reported cases of pregnancy in college compared to the figure locally - less than 1% of 16-18 year old girls - so we are certainly doing something right."

It is not only pregnancy rates that have benefitted from the scheme. Practice nurse Rebecca Charnock from Springfield Surgery in Darwen is very enthusiastic about the impact of Wrapped. She uses the scheme daily as part of various sexual health campaigns to prevent the spread of HPV and other STIs: "Condom use should not be an afterthought. By giving condoms to young people and the over 25s, and encouraging them to ask questions, we're helping them to get into a routine of using them... that can only be a good thing."

This is a sentiment shared by another local GP, Dr Salerno, who praised the scheme saying "As well as giving people easy access to contraception services, it also allowed important discussions to be had around STIs. This is a vital part of helping young people to look after their sexual health".

New horizons

The Wrapped scheme continues to grow and funding has been secured until March 2011, which means we can continue to make a difference. We have also set up additional distribution points targeting the over 25s in homeless shelters and outreach projects, including health settings such as GP surgeries and contraceptive clinics, and are encouraging venues often visited by people with a learning disability to get involved.

Although the exact statistics for STI and pregnancy rates locally are still pending, we are confident Wrapped has made a positive difference to the sexual health of people living in Blackburn and Darwen and would encourage other PCTs to get similar schemes started.

The views expressed in lead articles on DurexHCP are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of SSL International.

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About the author

Sharon Blanche is the Condom Scheme Coordinator for NHS Blackburn with Darwen. She has worked for the NHS for over 20 years, most recently focusing on Harm Reduction. She trained as a Substance Use Practitioner but also has a keen interest in Sexual Health. Sharon feels she has found her calling as Coordinator of the Condom Distribution Scheme and describes it as her dream job.

Article release date: 14th October 2009