Experts demand sex clinics in schools

SECONDARY school nurses should be allowed to give children condoms and morning-after pills to tackle high rates of pregnancy and sexual disease among Scots youngsters, leading health experts have demanded.

The country's main authorities on sexual health say similar moves south of the Border have proved a success and they have vowed to lobby ministers until sex clinics in Scottish schools are authorised.

Former First Minister Jack McConnell abandoned a plan for sexual health centres in schools three years ago under pressure from the Catholic Church, which argued it would promote promiscuity.

But recent evidence from England shows that there was a 30% reduction in pregnancy rates in schools where the clinics were set up.

A conference of sexual health experts in Scotland last week overwhelmingly agreed it was time for Scotland finally to adopt the English approach.

Speaking at the Holyrood Events Sexual Health Conference in Edinburgh last week, Professor Anna Glasier, director of family planning at NHS Lothian, said: "I want the new minister for health to allow us to provide contraception and sexual health services in targeted schools, for example those in rural communities and areas where teenage pregnancies are high.

"I think we should stop being defeatist about it. Education departments have got to get ready for it."

Tim Street, director of the Family Planning Association Scotland, said: "The ideal service would be a general health clinic within the school to advise on the full range of contraception and prescribe contraception and emergency contraception. If

a 14-year-old needs emergency contraception a nurse could be ideally placed to make that distinction without having to involve parents.

"This is going to be a sustained barrage of lobbying ministers from lead clinicians, sexual health experts and the voluntary sector.

"This is much more of an issue now than it was before because of the new evidence that has been gathered in England. It's a practical approach with Scotland's rural issues. Some young people in rural areas can face a four-hour round-trip to the doctor and they can't do that without their parents giving them a lift."

A survey of 54 experts at the conference showed all but three believed that schools should provide contraceptives and sexual health services because of its marked effect in other areas of the UK. Most also believed that parents and teachers are not best equipped to teach children effectively about sexual health.

Hawys Kilday, chief executive of Scotland's biggest teenage sexual health service, Caledonia Youth, said: "Having clinics in schools that are delivered by the right person is fundamental. At the moment it is at best patchy.

"Many young people are not sure how confidential their school nurse service is.

"If we want to make a difference we should offer sex education, health information and counselling in a way that young people will access it in confidence.

"For many young people in rural areas they have to be taken to school by their parents so the only place they could go is the school setting. The whole sexual health debate has to start now."

In 2004 an expert group tried to recommend the move for the Scottish Executive's £15m sexual health strategy, Respect and Responsibility.

However, this sparked a row with the Catholic Church and the final strategy stopped short of such proposals, instead allowing teachers to direct their pupils to clinics.

Last week, experts said that two years on from the launch of the strategy, Scotland's sexual health remained poor. A recent survey of Scottish youngsters aged 16 to 24 found nearly a third lost their virginity below the age of consent, and 57% said they had had a one-night stand. A total of 38% said they did not always use condoms with new partners.

Despite the mounting weight of statistics and advice from professionals, Scotland's new minister for public health last night all but ruled out the move.

Shona Robison told Scotland on Sunday: "I would be very reluctant to go down that route because we then get into a situation where many parents are concerned about what's going to be offered in schools.

"However, we need to make sure that there are places accessible to young people that they feel comfortable using."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: "Over the past few years we have seen more availability of the morning-after pill which was at first only available on prescription but is now free through pharmacies and there has not been a change in teenage pregnancies. These schemes do not change the underlying behaviour."