Dean Street Express, pioneering sexual health clinic part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, is marking its ten-year anniversary, reflecting on a decade of ground-breaking achievements and innovations that have shaped the landscape of sexual health and HIV care in London.
Launching in 2014, Dean Street Express – based in the heart of Soho – offered a unique one-stop shop approach, with walk-in appointments and testing onsite for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with rapid results back in six hours, a method since recognised internationally as a first of its kind.
The clinic has performed over 520,000 HIV tests over the past 10 years, as the dedicated team continue to work towards the Government’s goal of eliminating HIV transmission in the UK by 2030.
Dean Street Express has made significant strides in HIV prevention efforts, enrolling over 10,000 patients in the PrEP IMPACT Trial, which began in 2017. This real-world study played a crucial role in advancing research and expanding access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for individuals at risk of contracting HIV. The IMPACT Trial last year confirmed the effectiveness of PrEP in preventing HIV when taken in real-world settings.
The clinic has provided outstanding sexual health care to Londoners and those further afield, with almost 700,000 attendances in the past 10 years. The Express clinic, along with main clinic 56 Dean Street, have since expanded to be the largest provider of sexual health care within Europe, leading the way in innovation and research.
Since 2018, Dean Street Express dispensed over 500,000 PrEP medications which coincided with a reported drop in HIV transmission rates by 80%.
In the face of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Dean Street Express quickly adapted, converting to phone consultations for PrEP while continuing to provide essential services for the community. This year also saw PrEP commissioned by the NHS, making the drug more widely available to those at risk of HIV.
After the pandemic, in 2023, the Express clinic converted part of its service to become a vital vaccination hub in response to Mpox outbreak in London, supporting those at risk with specialist advice, vaccination and treatment.
Dr Tara Suchak, Service Lead at Dean Street said:
“Dean Street Express has always been a nurse-led service and this milestone anniversary really gives us the chance to thank our nurses for their incredibly hard and sustained efforts in driving down HIV diagnoses in what remains an extremely busy service.
“I would also like to recognise our community and patients that have come through the doors over the last decade – who have trusted us as a service and by being a community that looks after it’s sexual health, they should be proud of the impact collectively made on driving down HIV transmission in London and beyond.”
Roger Chinn, Chief Medical Officer, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We are incredibly proud of the pioneering approach of Dean Street Express, created to provide fast and convenient testing for STIs with a focus on providing a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQI+ community.
“It is fantastic to see how Express has evolved and expanded over the past decade, responding to the changing needs of the community. Like all our sexual health services, our specialist teams remain responsive to the needs of our patients and at the forefront of innovation and research.”
