MINISTERIAL FOREWORD
I'm pleased to introduce the first annual report on Respect and Responsibility, Scotland's Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health.
This is an issue I feel particularly strongly about, both as Health Minister and as the Chair of the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee.
Scotland has poor sexual health: our teenage pregnancy rates are among the worst in Europe and more people are being diagnosed with sexually-transmitted infections.
Like so many disease areas, it's the case that people living in less affluent circumstances are likely to have poorer sexual health than those who are better off. That's unacceptable. So, for me, working hard to improve sexual health is a matter of social justice and it's a key part of our over-arching efforts to tackle health inequalities.
Since the Strategy was published in January 2005 there has been an enormous amount of work done and considerable progress has been made. Of course not everything can be changed overnight. Even I, impatient as I am to see improvements, recognise that it takes time. It's also clear that challenges remain, including finding and recruiting the right people to make the strategy work.
I'm personally delighted, however, to see examples, across the country, which show that NHS Boards are using imagination to find creative solutions. These include redesigning services to make better use of the entire sexual health team, not just doctors, by, for example, training nurses to take on new roles.
I'm also pleased to see that local authorities, NHS Boards and others are taking a true partnership approach to implementing the strategy and action plan. The report outlines excellent examples of joint working, including partnership with the voluntary sector and faith groups.
And I'm pleased too that the work being done recognises the importance of engaging with and supporting parents around sexual health issues. These can be awkward subjects to deal with but no-one should underestimate the vital role which parents have in helping today's children grow into sexually healthy and confident adults.
In implementing the strategy, different NHS Boards have, of course, started at different stages. But all have made progress in drawing up plans and beginning to put them into practice.
The strategy itself has been a catalyst for raising the profile of this important area. I too have made a point of raising issues around sexual health at each NHS Board's annual accountability review and will continue to do so.
This report also fulfils a commitment to keep the Scottish Parliament and the public informed of the work which is going on. Each NHS Board is ensuring the highest levels of transparency by publishing details of their own plans and progress on their websites.
I'd particularly like to thank the members of the national committee for the hard work and dedication they have shown in helping to implement the strategy. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with them this year and next.
I'm also grateful to the NHS Board and local authority leads for spearheading implementation in their areas.
And I'd like to thank frontline workers, be they teachers, health promotion professionals, social workers, doctors or nurses. It can't be said too often that they're the people who are the backbone of our public services.
Sexual health and wellbeing is a sensitive subject. I fully appreciate that there are strong - and sincerely held - views on the issue and, indeed, on the strategy.
Equally, I am determined that it is not something we can sweep under the carpet.
We've made a good start. Now it's time to carry on and finish the job.
ANDY KERR
Minister for Health and Community Care