Profile of young people's advice clinic in reproductive health, 1988-93.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Opened in October 1988, Woodhouse Park Clinic serves Wythenshawe, a large council housing estate in south Manchester. The district has a total population of 48,072, with an average conception rate over the period 1989-91 of 17.1/1000 among girls aged 11-15. The clinic was opened with the goal of providing weekly advice sessions to young people up to the age of 18 years, along with advice on topics such as substance misuse, smoking, and family planning. The authors describe how in 1986 family planning managers, school nurses, and the local midwife and parentcraft tutor planned the weekly clinic intended to lower the rates of teenage pregnancy in the area. One two-hour clinic session was held from 3:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. each Thursday in a multipurpose community health center, staffed by two female school nurses, the female midwife and parentcraft tutor, and one female family planning doctor. Program launching, facilities, consultation, pregnancy tests, clinic management, and attendances are described. Attendance increased steadily over the years, with an average of 39 attendees per session over the period April-June 1993; young men comprised one-third of those who attended.