More community sexual health facilities are set to be provided to people in Oldham and nearby boroughs in an effort to improve access.

The services will be provided by HCRG Care Group and will see more outreach services offered from existing sites.

It is part of a new model being delivered by the care group which is targetting vulnerable and young people.

Sarah Lunt, head of Sexual Health and Dermatology at HCRG Care Group, said this was "brilliant news" for the people of Oldham as well as Bury and Rochdale.

She said: "We are proud to change people's lives by transforming health and care and this expansion of services will allow us to reach more patients in the heart of their community."

In Oldham, the services will be delivered at the Oldham Integrated Care Centre on New Radcliffe Street in the town centre.

The improvement of access to the facilities is part of an ongoing transformation programme carried out by HCRG Care Group alongside their partners.

The group has been recommissioned to deliver sexual health services in Oldham and the other two areas by the local authorities until April 2027.

Sexual health services in the area are run by the HCRG Care Group on behalf of the local authority.

In December 2021, it was announced that sexual health services in Oldham and the other two areas had been rated by the Care Quality Commission as 'Outstanding' when it came to caring for patients and 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and being well-led.

The services look to support vulnerable people and young people in Oldham who are hard to reach within the community.

Some of the services offered include face-to-face personal service where patients can be seen in private, free HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) prevention services and testing equipment which can be ordered online and posted.

Another service provided is "Clinic in a Box", which was launched during lockdown and gives people access to contraception and sexual health information at convenient locations throughout Greater Manchester.

People can visit thesexualhealthhub.co.uk where they can order testing kits for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis.

Condoms, emergency hormonal contraceptive pills and pregnancy tests are also available online.