Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise. According to the World Health Organisation, each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections globally. And in 2022, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported a 24% rise in STIs. This resurgence has not been helped by reduced access to the sexual health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s where online services can help support an over-run system.

Getting more people tested for STIs and directed towards appropriate treatment is a proven way to reduce STI transmission. Preventx is the leading provider of remote diagnostic services in England, where we work in partnership with the NHS in over 70 local authority areas. The scalability of our services is unprecedented in sexual health, as we have dispatched more than 6.5 million test kits and run nearly 20 million diagnostic tests for STIs. 

Access to Trusted, Remote Sexual Health Services

Through our services, we empower people to access reliable, trusted remote sexual health services. Our fully accredited laboratory, dispatch warehouse, and technology platform are all managed in-house, meaning we can deliver rapidly and reliably, at scale. We’ve seen demand for our testing services across disease areas such as sexual health, HIV and hepatitis C grow, with more people using our services year on year. 

We believe collaboration is key in allowing services to adapt to new and existing public health challenges. We recently partnered with NHS England’s Hepatitis C Elimination Programme to launch a national at-home testing service for hepatitis C, as part of England’s commitment to eliminate the virus in England by 2030. 

As the number of people with the virus gets smaller, remaining cases become harder to find and cure, especially for those who may not access traditional testing routes. Early detection is important because untreated hepatitis C can lead to life-threatening liver conditions. Yet once detected, it is usually easy to cure. And so Preventx was commissioned to develop and run a national service enabling anyone in England aged 18 or over to order a free, reliable, and convenient self-sampling kit to their home. 

Already used by over 32,000 people and with over 100 positive cases diagnosed, this new approach to infection elimination enables individuals who don’t attend mainstream services to easily access testing and hugely increases national testing capacity. This is a powerful example of how services can work in partnership to deliver wide-scale national access to testing, in a cost-effective way that also tackles public health issues.

Scalable Demand, Ready for Any Challenge

Our tech is completely scalable and the Preventx lab is able to process over 7,000 tests each day, and easily scale up to meet demand. This was put to the test in May 2024, when the impact of the Infected Blood Inquiry sent demand soaring. Over 38,000 testing kits were ordered in just 3 weeks!

Empowering people with self-management reduces the burden on staff in extremely busy NHS services, like primary care and sexual health services. Through using the online service, it’s estimated as many as 10,000 unnecessary in-person appointments have been saved. 

A concern we have seen levelled at remote services is that they might not reach marginalised communities. However, with associated stigma and busy schedules often a barrier to traditional services, we know that remote diagnostics can help to improve uptake of testing in these communities. About 1 in 3 orders have been from people living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation – and so more likely to experience multiple health inequalities – and these orders account for 2 in 3 positive results.

Online services also reduce the need for staff to find and engage those not accessing traditional services, freeing up resources to concentrate on other settings and people with complex needs. The commissioning cost of online testing can be as little as half that in physical settings, meaning significant cost efficiencies have been achieved and will increase as greater numbers use the service.

In order to remain agile, Preventx has significantly invested in our technology, and our platform has been built in a way that allows us to flex our services to meet new demands. Our leading tech and infrastructure allow us to grow and scale and we are working with health service partners across a range of disease areas to improve public health through diagnostics. 

Digital services are vital for the fight against sexually transmitted infections; they deliver scalable, cost-effective and impactful access for people, and providing crucial support for the NHS. They free up busy NHS clinics and staff to get on with the job of seeing the most complex, vulnerable and poorly patients. We are honoured to work in partnership to reduce the burden of STIs and we’re excited to see how else this approach can be used to improve public health more widely.