This month NHS Careers is highlighting how staff can help people of all ages stay sexually healthy.

More people than ever are choosing to end long term relationships and returning to the dating scene in their forties and fifties. But if you haven’t had a new partner in a while, you probably haven’t had to think about contraception and protecting yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for some time either. 

Graham is 48. Two years after a tricky divorce and a couple of flings, he finally felt he was ready to think about having a relationship. Maybe nothing too serious - he just wanted to see how it went. So he opened an internet dating account and eventually, after a few introductions, he met Julie. She was also divorced, and they enjoyed walking their dogs together – usually ending in a meal at a country pub. Both Graham and Julie were excited about taking the relationship further.  Graham was a bit unsure of how to talk about it and Julie was also secretly a bit worried about the next step. She wanted to be with Graham, but it was such a long time since she’d slept with anyone other than her ex-husband.

Thankfully, Julie’s friend Margaret worked in promoting sexual health at the local primary care trust.  Over a couple of glasses of wine, she explained to Julie where to get some basic information about contraception and the risks of STIs.  When she next met Graham, she plucked up the courage to talk to him about sleeping together. Although she was apprehensive about what Graham might say, she was glad to see that he looked relieved when she mentioned contraception. Graham decided that it would be a good idea to visit his GP and get some tests done.

Although he felt really nervous about the tests, Angela, the sexual health nurse was reassuring and the swab test only took a minute to complete. Angela sent the swab to the local pathology lab where it was tested by a clinical support assistant. When Graham phoned the medical receptionist to find out the results, he was glad he had taken the test, but a little worried to find that he had tested positive for Gonorrhea. He decided to make an appointment at her local Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic to get it sorted out.

At the GUM clinic Graham saw Alexa, a doctor specialising in Genito-Urinary Medicine. Alexa explained that Gonorrhoea could be easily treated with antibiotics and as he hadn’t developed any symptoms, there was no further need for treatment. As he picked up his prescription from the hospital pharmacist, Graham felt relieved that he had caught the infection in time before having to put Julie through extra hassle.