MP Visits to Hillingdon Integrated Sexual Health Service

10 July 2025 (Last updated: 10 Jul 2025 11:37)

BASHH Fellows recently attended a masterclass on how and why to engage with your MP from former Government Minister and Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Steve Brine. The biggest take home message: Invite MPs to your service and show the great work being done. In this blog, BASHH Fellow Dr Luciana Rubinstein reflects on learning from welcoming their local MP, Danny Beales, to Hillingdon Integrated SHS.

A little background
Hillingdon Integrated Sexual Health Service (ISHS) is part of the London Northwest University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWHT), based at the Wakley Centre, a community clinic, with a few satellite services. After a commissioning process which took place in 2017, the service merged with the contraception service, creating an integrated community based SRH clinic serving the Hillingdon population. We joined existing SRH services provided by the Trust in Brent, Harrow and Ealing, coming in with a separate contract. Hillingdon is the smallest of all services and the one furthest from the other centres.

Why a visit from our MP matters
We were thrilled to hear about the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV’s (BASHH) initiative to promote engagement with local MP visits. It seemed like a good opportunity to showcase our service and the team’s achievements and coincided with our desire to become more visible. We felt this would also be a great opportunity to make important local connections, discuss challenges our service faces, and get some much-needed recognition of the quality of care we deliver day in, day out.

Getting ready
The visit was arranged directly by BASHH with Danny Beales’ Parliamentary office. We first considered HIV Testing Week, especially as this year it included Valentine’s Day! Unfortunately, Mr Beales was not available then and we had to rearrange for the following week. The Trust’s comms team was involved and provided the structure.

BASHH supported us with pre-meetings, including with CEO Kat Smithson who also attended on the day. We discussed what to expect and how best to structure the day to ensure we made the most of it. By researching the MP’s parliamentary activity, we learned that he is a great advocate for sexual health, with previous experience of working in the sector, and had raised relevant questions in Parliament about online STI testing. That gave us a fruitful starting point for discussion and a good idea of what to expect.

We invited some key people to attend on the day, including:

• Clinical directors for HIV, GUM, and SRH
• Service general manager
• Lead nurse for SRH and HIV and their  line manager
• Our service consultants
• The whole Hillingdon ISHS team
• Members of the Trust’s executive board
• A representative from the Trust’s comms department, who came with a camera!

The Big Day!
We welcomed Mr Beales with tea, coffee, and a friendly tour of our service and its facilities. Some highlights of the visit included:

• Showing off our small but mighty lab and discussing why Level 3, consultant-led services are so crucial
• Talking about workforce challenges and the need for ongoing training, not just for our staff, but also primary care providers and others working outside SRH
• Discussing funding issues, especially how preventive measures such as PrEP, MPox and MenB vaccinations are vital
• Discussing the recent increase in the Public Health Grant and the real impact it may, or may not, have for sexual health
• Raising concerns about regulations for online and private STI testing providers
• Making the case for a refreshed national sexual health strategy, given the impact of the last one in 2001
• Conversations about broader community issues, including homelessness and sex workers. Mr Beales offered to connect us with local organisations tackling these challenges
• Discussions about potential collaborations with a local university
• Photo opportunities – we hope to be on the Trust magazine, X, BASHH social media etc

A great connection made
The visit was a success! Mr Beales and his assistant were engaging, took notes, and seemed genuinely interested in the work we do. We built new connections, raised awareness about our service, and hopefully planted the seeds for future support. 

On a lighter note, we chatted about travel, holidays, and Brazil—making the whole experience feel personal.

We like to think we’ve made a new friend in Parliament, and that, with this, we will amplify the voice of GUM services nationally. We also hope Mr Beales sees Hillingdon ISHS as a key player in improving sexual health services, alongside BASHH and other colleagues and allies!

If you’re interested in organising a service visit from your local MP, please reach out to bashh@mandfhealth.com to discuss next steps.

Danny Beales MP, Dr Luciana Rubinstein, and BASHH CEO, Kat Smithson