President's Blog - Dr Cara Saxon - October 2026
09 October 2026
(Last updated: 9 Oct 2026 12:02)
Autumn has always been my favourite season. The changing colours of the leaves are beautiful across the cities, towns and countryside of the UK. It is also a busy time for the BASHH, sexual health and HIV calendars so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some important developments, celebrate the work of colleagues across our specialty and look ahead to opportunities taking place over the coming weeks.
Black History Month
October marks Black History Month, an important opportunity to celebrate the achievements, contributions and experiences of Black communities across the UK.
Within sexual health and HIV, we know that outcomes, access to services and experiences of care are not always equal. Improving equity requires us to listen to communities and ensure that services respond to the diverse needs of the people we serve.
BASHH’s Racially Minoritised Communities (RMC) SIG will be sharing creative content spotlighting key topics across BASHH’s social media channels throughout the month, so please do keep an eye out for this.
The RMC SIG is also spotlighting an initiative led by the UKHSA, which brings together a range of Black History Month events, lectures, podcasts and educational resources from across the health sector. I would encourage members to look out for further details to get involved.
There is also a fantastic opportunity to get more involved in this work. The RMC SIG is currently seeking two new Core Steering Group members to help shape and advance its work to address racial health inequalities in sexual health and HIV care. Details of how to apply to join the RMC SIG are available on the BASHH website.
SAS Week 2026
Today also marks the end of SAS Week, a celebration of our specialty, associate specialist and specialist (SAS) grade doctors working across the UK. The week highlights the expertise, leadership and immense contribution of the SAS workforce to patient care and service delivery.
Within sexual health and HIV services, SAS doctors are a vital part of our multidisciplinary teams. The recent BASHH SAS Conference demonstrated the breadth of their contribution, from delivering highly specialised clinical care and supporting service development to providing education and training and helping patients access timely expert advice and treatment.
On behalf of BASHH, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all SAS doctors working across sexual health and HIV services. Your expertise and dedication make a significant difference every day, and SAS Week provides a welcome opportunity to recognise and celebrate your contribution.
BASHH/SSHA Nursing and Sexual Health Advisers Conference
Last month, BASHH marked World Sexual Health Day by highlighting the critical role that Sexual Health Advisers (SHAs) play within modern sexual health services.
Building on that celebration, I would like to encourage members to consider attending ‘Resilience and Reinvention: A BASHH/SSHA Nursing and Sexual Health Advisers Conference’. Taking place on Friday 6 November, the event represents an excellent opportunity to learn from colleagues, share experiences and explore the evolving challenges and opportunities facing our nursing and sexual health adviser workforce.
Events like these once again reflect the strength of our multidisciplinary specialty and the importance of continuing to learn from one another. You can register you place here.
Public Health Scotland HIV Data
Based here in Glasgow, I wanted to reflect on the recently published HIV data from Public Health Scotland. The report provides an encouraging update on Scotland's progress towards ending HIV transmission by 2030 but also highlights that gaps remain in early testing, access to prevention strategies such as PrEP and reaching people who face barriers to accessing care.
The progress achieved to date is a testament to the expertise, dedication and commitment of the workforce across Scotland, but it is also an important reminder that there is more to do. BASHH welcomes the recent Scottish Government announcement of the new HIV Action plan, and the opportunity to keep the focus maintained on the work that is still needed to achieve the 2030 ambition of ending HIV transmissions.
BASHH Board and Clinical Governance Group Elections
Finally, it is BASHH Elections time. Hopefully you will already have seen the first email go out this week inviting nominations for positions across the BASHH Board and CGC (find all information here). I want to echo the sentiment of invite – BASHH is your specialty association and these roles offer a fantastic opportunity for members to both contribute to and influence the future of BASHH, our specialty and the care we are able to provide for the communities we serve. It is also a great way to connect with colleagues in other parts of the country.
If you are interested in applying but feeling a bit unsure, I would strongly encourage you to reach out to past or current position holders for an informal chat about the role, we can connect you to the right person if you email us at admin@bashh.org.
With warmest wishes,
Cara
Dr Cara Saxon
BASHH President