President’s Blog – Professor Matt Phillips – June 2025

06 June 2025 (Last updated: 6 Jun 2025 10:04)

Dearest Colleagues,

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine and some much-needed fresh air as we move into the summer months. And… It’s conference time (x2)

There is no shortage of activity across our specialty, and I want to take a moment to highlight key areas that have particularly stood out over the past few weeks, and to look forward to the next few months.

On Tuesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released its annual data for STIs in England. The headline news is that overall STI diagnoses have fallen by 8.8% compared to the previous year. While this is encouraging, a deeper look reveals that there remains an urgent need for action. Syphilis cases continue to rise — up by 4.6% — and although gonorrhoea diagnoses have decreased by almost 16%, they remain at historically high levels. Perhaps most concerning is the continued increase in antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea, which continues to pose a serious challenge to public health.

This report underlines what many of us already know: STIs continue to disproportionately affect young people, GBMSM, and some minority ethnic groups. At BASHH, we are using this moment to renew our call for a national sexual health strategy — one that is informed by expert clinical insight and the voices of the communities we serve. Such a strategy must address access, workforce, antimicrobial resistance, and integration with the broader health system.

In other national policy updates, a recent release by NHS England announced the rollout of the world’s first routine gonorrhoea vaccination programme, launching this August. Eligible individuals will be offered the 4CMenB vaccine through local authority-commissioned sexual health services, alongside the continuing mpox vaccination programme. This is an incredibly exciting development — and one we at BASHH, alongside THT, have advocated for. As gonorrhoea diagnoses hit historically high numbers and antimicrobial resistance grows, this new tool offers more options.

We are now just days away from the BASHH Annual Conference in Edinburgh, taking place from 9th–11th June. With an impressive number of abstract submissions and a packed programme, this promises to be another memorable event. A huge shout out to Dr Chris Ward as our conference chair and to Moore Insight, our conference support - the volume of work they are doing should not be underestimated and for many of us, conference is the beating heart of BASHH. That heart is in good hands.

There are some parts I am especially looking forward to. On the Wednesday, Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador for England, joins us. In conversation with Dr Liz Okecha and myself, Dame Lesley will explore the role of GUM in addressing some of the stark inequalities facing women today. There’s the Five Nations view of the STI prioritisation framework - it’s an exciting step change to consider not only UK nations but also the Republic of Ireland as we look beyond borders to sexual communities and shared knowledge. Finally, it’s the second year of the President’s Plant Based Breakfast - the team will be in touch to confirm places - I will be welcoming Dr Woode-Owusu as lead of our external EEDI review to give some sneak peek insights before the whole report is published. I am very grateful for her expertise, and I am confident that her insights will help BASHH grow ever more inclusive. I hope many of you will be able to join us in Edinburgh. As always, the BASHH Annual Conference is a chance to celebrate our progress, challenge our thinking, and build momentum for what comes next.

There’s more! The SAS Conference in Manchester as ever is a great line up. I am very much looking forward to joining our SAS colleagues there. The educational programme is very well thought through, and the social events never disappoint. Join us in Manchester if you can.

Finally, I’m three-quarters through my term. It is such a great pleasure working with everyone and helping to make sure that BASHH’s voice is heard and acted on. Just like our specialty, things are always changing, and elections are coming up so I’m busy thinking about the future of BASHH, future officers and chairs. Please, get involved - BASHH is by members and for members. Your voice and thinking is wanted and is important. If you have fancied a role but aren’t sure, chat to someone who holds the role already and think about ‘Could it be me?’. It could be you! I would be delighted to chat to anyone who wants to get more involved in the running of BASHH – drop me a line president@bashh.net

We are an amazing network - together we make up the team that sustains, improves and advocates for good sexual health across the four nations. #LoveGUM #TeamBASHH

Yours,
Matt

Professor Matt Phillips
BASHH President