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About

The work of the New South Wales Sexually Transmissible Infections Programs Unit (NSW STIPU) is guided by the NSW Sexually Transmissible Infections and HIV Strategies. These strategies aim to reduce HIV and STIs and associated morbidity and mortality in NSW by working with priority populations, the public and private health systems to build capacity for prevention, treatment and management of HIV and STIs.

NSW STIPU was established by the NSW Ministry of Health to assist coordination and where appropriate, to directly implement some state-wide services. Many aspects of the strategies require partnerships of agencies across the health and community sector and across health service boundaries.

The current focus of the NSW STI Programs Unit is:

  • to assist publicly funded sexual health services to orientate service delivery towards priority populations
  • to strengthen the capacity of general practitioners to manage STIs within the primary care setting
  • to promote community awareness through state-wide STI social marketing and information campaigns
  • to strengthen the capacity of non-traditional settings to assist management of STIs and HIV.

The unit oversees the following programs: Read More

Setting Based Health Promotion Program:

Working within a range of health settings to assist in the management of STIs and HIV by:

  • improving access to STI information, training and resources
  • strengthening links to sexual health services

Publicly Funded Sexual Health Services Program (PFSHS)

Supporting PFSHS to target priority populations and complex STI cases by:

  • improving access through innovation
  • encouraging partnerships with general practice
  • enhancing contact tracing measures through information and education resources for clinicians and patients

Health Promotion Resource Program

Increasing community awareness of STIs and HIV by:

  • providing sexual health information via the Play Safe website and social media
  • leading sexual health campaigns and behaviour change interventions with target populations
  • building on past successful health promotion projects including Youth Week

HIV Clinical Nurse Consultant Program

  • Supporting the implementation of NSW Health’s Ending HIV campaigns and HIV testing week
  • Supporting the development of key parts of the NSW HIV Support Program (HSP)
  • Supporting the NSW PrEP implementation project
  • Leading partnerships with primary care, GPs and publicly funded sexual health services to increase HIV testing among non s100 GPs
  • Educating and communicating with the mental health and drug and alcohol sector, antenatal services, emergency departments and TB services around testing for HIV and the appropriate management of clients at risk of HIV

Communications

  • Assisting the development of the NSW Sexual Health Infolink
  • Managing the content for the NSW Play Safe website
  • Providing secretariat support for the Directors of NSW Sexual Health Services
  • Providing STI information about research, initiatives and key events to the sectors through the STI Programs Unit Newsletter

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We respect and acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and live.

We would like to thank all the staff members from NSW Health, government and non-government organisations who support us through ongoing collaboration and consultation.

ORGANISATIONAL SETTING

The Unit receives recurrent funding from the NSW Ministry of Health. It is co-located with Sydney Sexual Health Clinic, within Sydney Hospital and is administered through South East Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD). A range of advisory groups provides expert advice and guides direction.