President’s Blog – Dr Cara Saxon – May 2026

15 May 2026 (Last updated: 15 May 2026 11:00)

As we move through May, I’m pleased to share some reflections on what has been a busy and rewarding period for BASHH. It has been a time to both connect with colleagues and progress important areas of policy and practice.

Reflections from the Joint BASHH & BHIVA Conference

I am writing this month following an uplifting few days at the 6th Joint BHIVA and BASHH Conference in Liverpool. It was a real pleasure to meet and reconnect with colleagues from across the UK and beyond.  The breadth and quality of the programme really highlighted both the complexity of the challenges we face and the strength of our collective response. The focus on improving our reach and accessibility for those communities most in need was incredibly thought provoking and inspiring.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the joint conference committee, the events team Medivent, local host Dr Emily Clarke, the BASHH and BHIVA Conference Chairs Dr Chris Ward and Professor Caroline Sabin, BHIVA Chair Dr Tristan Barber, the speakers and everyone who contributed to making it such a fantastic conference. I’m also deeply grateful to all those who stayed behind in our services and enabled their colleagues to attend.

I was delighted to round off my week at the UK‑CAB conference, where I had the opportunity to meet members and take part in a really engaging discussion reflecting on #BHIVABASHH26 highlights. These conversations are always a powerful reminder of the value of bringing together different perspectives as we work towards improving outcomes in sexual health and HIV.

Supporting the Nursing Workforce in GUM

On Tuesday, we marked International Nurses Day, and I would like to take a moment to recognise and thank the nursing workforce for the essential and incredible role they play across sexual health and HIV services. Their expertise, leadership and compassion are fundamental to delivering high‑quality care every day.

As part of BASHH’s nurse‑led programme of work to foster career and professional development within GUM, we are continuing to highlight the importance of greater support for nurses to access ongoing training and development opportunities.

GUM is a rapidly evolving speciality. Ensuring patients receive high‑quality, evidence‑based care requires ongoing investment in professional development. However, many nurses – particularly those in band 5 and 6 roles – still face challenges in accessing the support they need.

We are therefore calling on employers to do more to support all specialist nurses by enabling access to training in GUM. This includes providing protected study leave and dedicated funding, so that nurses can develop, maintain and advance the specialist knowledge and skills that are so critical to patient care. You can read BASHH’s full statement via the website.

HSJ Roundtable: Improving Women’s Health

Earlier in the year, I was also pleased to take part in a recent Health Service Journal (HSJ) roundtable exploring 'Improving women’s health: Does vaginal health need more focus?'

The meeting facilitated a really insightful discussion, bringing together a range of expert voices and reinforcing the importance of ensuring that testing, diagnostic tools and clinical pathways are both appropriate and accessible. It also highlighted the continued need for awareness and education among clinicians to support timely recognition and management of what all too often remains an overlooked area.

The conversation is very much part of a broader and ongoing discussion about how we strengthen women’s health services across the health system as a whole, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to this important area of work. If you want to find out more details of the roundtable discussion, a report has been published by the HSJ and available for all to access.

Expressions of Interest: Sexual Health System Oversight Group

Finally, you may have also seen that BASHH is establishing a new Sexual Health System Oversight (SHSO) Group, and we are inviting expressions of interest from members who would like to be involved.

The creation of this group represents a really important step in responding to the systemic factors contributing to the deterioration of sexual health outcomes across the UK. The SHSO Group will play a key strategic role in supporting BASHH’s work to address fragmentation in service design and commissioning.

We are keen to ensure broad representation across UK geographies, professional backgrounds and service settings. So, I encourage all those interested in contributing to this work to please contact admin@bashh.org by Friday 22nd May. Please do reach out if you have any questions.

Once again, it was an absolute delight to see so many of you – both familiar faces and those new to BASHH – at last month’s conference. I very much hope to see many of you again at the fantastic programme of events BASHH has planned for the remainder of the year. In the meantime you can reach me directly at president@bashh.org.

And on the topic of upcoming events, keep your eyes peeled for a very exciting announcement next week…

With warmest wishes,

Cara

Dr Cara Saxon

BASHH President