Report: Sex Workers’ Insights into Public Healthcare Services
11 March 2024
We are delighted to report the findings of our research commissioned by the UCLH’s Find and Treat Service. We asked the community about their experiences with the NHS and what they would like healthcare services to understand so that healthcare can be more inclusive.
“I have to manage the other person’s anxieties about sex work…I have to go in potentially knowing how to fight off accusations or assumptions. And no one should have to do that when they are trying to access healthcare.”
“When I was in London…I could tick the sex worker box on the form, and I would get a speedy screening. Whereas now, in Cambridge, [oral STI tests] are not offered for free on the NHS.”
“All NHS clinics treat sex workers and the services we need differently.”
Four key themes:
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Stigma and discrimination appear prevalent throughout the NHS and are the main lens through which many sex workers experience and understand health services.
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A lack of communication means that healthcare workers seem under-informed about sex work, and sex workers lack clarity on healthcare services and processes.
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A lack of consistency in training, funding and policy has created a postcode lottery for sex workers when it comes to healthcare.
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Sex work cannot be viewed in isolation, and the health and healthcare experiences of sex workers are deeply intersectional.
Our recommendations:
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Health programmes including or led by sex workers
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Improved Training and Guidelines to tackle stigma and misunderstanding
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Clear Communication of healthcare services designed with input from sex workers
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Regional efforts to prevent postcode lotteries
Read the full report here
“I’m lectured about the dangers, encouraged to seek ‘support to escape’ and my consent towards the work is dismissed”
“The ‘Men who Love Men’ treatment paths that are open are quite good, they’re quite efficient. But there’s no…priority for sex workers, specifically. I feel like they’ve just never thought much about us.”