Alumni Engagement And Philanthropy

  



IMPROVING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OF MEN IN NI PRISONS 

26 March 2018

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s, working with a group of young men from Hydebank Wood College, has developed a video animation to promote a positive attitude to sexual health testing and to improve the sexual health of men in Northern Ireland’s prisons.

Dr Carmel Kelly (pictured 5th from left above), a Consultant Nurse in Sexual Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s who holds a joint appointment with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, explained that the project had two strands: “Firstly, we introduced a nurse led initiative to provide asymptomatic sexual health check-ups for patients.

“This is the first time nurses have provided comprehensive check-ups, as previously the medical consultants mostly saw patients who were showing symptoms. Nursing staff completed eLearning modules and attended training provided by the Trust's sexual health team before piloting the service. A failsafe process for the appropriate management of all positive results received by prison healthcare staff is coordinated by the Trust's Sexual Health Nurse Advisor.

“Secondly, we used a participatory action research model with a group of young men from Hydebank Wood College, which resulted in the development of a short animation video, encouraging a positive approach to looking after one's sexual health by attending check-ups.”

The young men were involved as co-producers in developing the animation to ensure their voices were heard and that they could relate to the final version. This approach allowed the young men from the College to develop a video which was relevant and authentic to them.

The video was launched at Hydebank Wood College when Governor Richard Taylor, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael Mc Bride and researchers from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s were all in attendance.

The project, funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, has been developed in collaboration with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, who are responsible for providing healthcare in our prisons.

Also working on the project was Dr Michelle Templeton (pictured 6th from left), a Research Fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr Templeton, who has experience using participatory methods with children and young people, said: “This project is an excellent example of how key health messages can be communicated to young men in a meaningful way.

“Including their voices and experiences during the creation of the intervention means that they are more likely to hear and act on those messages, which will not only improve their sexual health but also that of their partners and future partners.”

Tracey Heasley, Clinical Nurse Lead for prison healthcare in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, welcomed the project as an example of the Trust’s commitment to making all health services accessible to patients within prison.

Professor Maria Lohan (4th from left), from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, who was Co–Investigator in the project added: “Hydebank Wood College has been key to the success of this project because it is a European leader in promoting innovative approaches to the rehabilitation of young male offenders through education. Queen’s University Belfast adds to this approach by helping to build the evidence based approaches to this education, making it truly effective in improving the lives of young men and the communities to which they will return.”

Dr Michael McBride (3rd from left), Chief Medical Officer said: “The health needs of the prison population are much greater than the community as a whole. This includes the area of sexual health which is an important part of overall physical and mental health. As ever, early intervention and effective treatment, together with education to reduce future risk are key to success.”

Welcoming the initiative, Richard Taylor (3rd from right), Governor at Hydebank Wood College, said: “I am pleased to have been able to work alongside Queen’s and our colleagues in the South Eastern Trust to tackle what is a sensitive issue, that of sexual health in young men.

“Very often, sexual health is a taboo subject, especially with young males. It is therefore important that we in the Northern Ireland Prison Service do all that we can to support these young men to change their perspectives and to challenge them to change their habits.

Ultimately, Hydebank Wood College is working to keep young men safe, be it inside or outside of the College, and to show them a better road to take when they’re released. This initiative is another step towards this.”

Media enquiries to Jemma Greenlees at Queen's Communications Office on tel: +44 (0)28 90973087.

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