Sexual Health Advisor

We are seeking a motivated Sexual Health Advisor to join the Oxfordshire Sexual Health Service. This specialist role provides high-quality care, advice, and interventions within an integrated sexual and reproductive health service. The postholder will manage partner notification, safeguarding assessments, and complex casework for individuals with STIs, infection risk, and complex psychosocial needs, ensuring appropriate follow-up and escalation. A key part of the role involves supporting vulnerable patients experiencing trauma, mental health difficulties, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, and other safeguarding concerns, using a trauma-informed, person-centred approach. The role requires close working with multidisciplinary teams and external agencies to support effective safeguarding and coordinated care. The postholder will also contribute to public health outcomes through infection prevention, STI transmission reduction, and health promotion., The Sexual Health Advisor will provide specialist support within an integrated sexual health service, focusing on partner notification, safeguarding, and management of complex sexual health cases. Key responsibilities include leading contact tracing for sexually transmitted infections to reduce onward transmission, managing urgent patient recalls, and supporting clinical follow-up of untreated or high-risk cases. The postholder will play a key role in identifying and responding to safeguarding concerns, working with children and adults at risk, and contributing to multi-agency safeguarding processes. The role involves working with individuals with complex needs, including trauma, mental health difficulties, substance misuse, and experiences of exploitation or abuse, using a trauma-informed approach. The Sexual Health Advisor will also work closely with multidisciplinary and external partner agencies to ensure coordinated, safe, and effective care. In addition, the postholder will contribute to health promotion, infection prevention, and public health initiatives aimed at reducing STI transmission and improving sexual health outcomes. The role requires accurate documentation, adherence to clinical governance standards, and ongoing professional development, along with the ability to work autonomously within a complex and fast-paced clinical environment., The Sexual Health Advisor plays a key role in the delivery of integrated sexual health services, with a strong focus on HIV care, safeguarding, sexual health promotion, and multidisciplinary working. The postholder will provide pre- and post-test HIV counselling, manage HIV positive results, support partner notification, and offer ongoing emotional and clinical support to patients and their families. They will contribute to HIV clinic activity as part of a multidisciplinary team. The role includes patient triage (face-to-face and telephone), assessment of psychological distress, safeguarding assessments, and appropriate referral for individuals with complex needs including mental health concerns, sexual assault, substance misuse, and termination of pregnancy. The postholder will also support vulnerable adults and young people under 16, working closely with safeguarding and child protection services. A key aspect of the role involves sexual health promotion, including health education, risk reduction advice, and the use of behavioural change approaches such as motivational interviewing and CBT-informed techniques. The postholder will also contribute to training and education by delivering sexual health training to healthcare professionals, partner agencies, and community groups, as well as supporting and supervising trainee health advisers. Additional responsibilities include audit, service development, outreach work, liaison with partner agencies, and supporting access for vulnerable groups. The role requires accurate clinical documentation, use of sexual health databases, and adherence to strict confidentiality and national guidance. The successful candidate will be expected to work across multiple sites, participate in supervision and training, and contribute to the ongoing development of high-quality sexual health services.

This is a varied role requiring strong communication skills, clinical judgement, and the ability to manage a complex caseload in a fast-paced environment, working independently and within a team.,

• Previous experience working within a sexual health clinic in a patient facing role
Desirable criteria
• Relevant post graduate level qualification or training
• Counselling training or equivalent, Working experience of partner notification skills, Experience of working in a Public Health and Health Promotion context., Work effectively under pressure, recognise and deal with stress appropriately in self and others.
• Willing to travel to different clinic locations., Experience of working and engaging with vulnerable populations, such as IVDU, sex workers, mental health and learning difficulties, Outreach work in sexual health, risk reduction and sexual health promotion in a range of settings., Understanding of clinical supervision and its purpose, Use of clinical supervision for emotional support., Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• The ability to communicate sensitive information to a range of populations, in a non-judgemental way
• Excellent command of the English language, including verbal and written skills
  
  Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.
The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence., Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel. In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism., Sexual Safety Charter: In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.