The Leeds Psychosexual Medicine Service: evaluation of an NHS service for sexual dysfunction

Abstract

Sexual problems are common and patients seek treatment from various clinicians. Specialist psychosexual clinics within the NHS in the UK are one of the key providers of sexual medicine services. This retrospective service evaluation covers a population of 846 patients referred over a three-year period to the Leeds Psychosexual Medicine Service. Of patients referred, 65% were males and the majority of patients were in the age range of 18–40 years. Of referrals, 70% were from primary care physicians, with complaints of a broad range of sexual problems. Around half of the referred patients failed to attend either their first or subsequent appointments. A third of the total referrals completed all planned sessions of their treatment. Of these, 70% showed major improvement and only a small proportion (6.5%) either showed no change or worsening of their problems. Our data suggests that brief therapy lasting four to eight sessions is beneficial in most patients. This evaluation is timely as there are financial constraints on the NHS currently and with improved service delivery models, which aim to minimise patient non-attendance, brief interventions can be effective.

Keywords:

• outcome
• brief therapy
• service evaluation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms Caron Hargraves, Mr Banuprakash Gonibeedu Manjunatha and Mr Inamul Haque, for their help in collating the data from the database.