1. References 1. Jeal N, Salisburyc. A health needs assessment of street-based prostitutes: cross sectional survey. Journal of Public Health. 2004, 26(2):147-151 2.Cunningham S, Kendall T. Risk behaviours among internet-facilitated sex workers: evidence from two new datasets. Sex Transm Infect. 2010,86(3): 100- 105 Discussion Our study shows that men and women exchanging sex for payment prefer a dedicated SHS as they find it hard to disclose the nature of their activity to all health professionals. The majority of our study population were aware of their sexual health risks and exhibited risk taking behaviours. As previous studies show, men and women exchanging sex for payment are a risk group for forward transmission of sexually transmitted infections 2 so it is important to encourage access to and engagement with SHS. Although the majority of the respondents had plans to exit, only a few knew how to get help to exit and would have liked to access more information regarding this. The common theme in free text was that ‘they did not want to be seen as victims’ or ‘labelled as prostituted individuals’ or ‘judged based on their work’ as this would discourage them from attending services. Aims and Objectives To assess the sexual health needs of men and women using the internet to exchange sex for payment and identify unmet sexual health needs of this population. Method For this project we formed a multidisciplinary team with 2 representatives from SRH department, 1 from Communication and Equality and 2 from NHS Open Road which provides services for men who receive payment for sex. The local ethics committee confirmed that ethical approval was not required for this study. We designed a health needs assessment questionnaire using survey monkey, which was revised by the group. A scoping exercise was carried out to identify websites advertising men and women who exchange sex for payment in Greater Glasgow & Clyde. This also afforded an opportunity to identify the best methods of contacting men and women to provide them with a link to the questionnaire. A total of 35 websites were utilised. We only included websites that gave personal email addresses or mobile numbers. We prepared a database of individual contacts and sent the questionnaire link along with a short introductory message either via email or text. The information about the survey and its link was also added to the Sandyford website and all staff were informed about the survey. The survey was open over a period of 9 months from May 2012 to February 2013. Results The survey was sent to 492 individuals using the internet to exchange sex for payment as follows: men (n=177), women (n=300), transgendered individuals (n=9) and escort agencies (n=6). During the study period we had a total of 37 responses to the survey (with 1 spoiled response) as follows: men (n=12), women (n=24) and transgendered (n=1). 80% of respondents were from the UK. A sexual health needs assessment of men and women receiving payment for sex using the internet R Ronghe 1, T Groom 2, C Mackillop 2, J Heng 3, A Davidson 3 1. SRH NHS Lanarkshire 2. Sandyford Initiative 3. NHS Open Road Glasgow Introduction Previous studies on sexual health needs of individuals exchanging sex for payment have concentrated on street based individuals and those operating in off-street settings such as saunas and massage parlours 1. Increasing numbers of men and women are exchanging sex for payment using the internet. There is limited research about the sexual health needs of these men and women 2. We conducted this study to assess the sexual health needs of men and women using the internet to exchange sex for payment. Results Awareness of sexual health risks – 20% of the respondents had received payment for not using condoms. Only 8% always used condoms for oral sex. 80% knew where to get tests for sexual transmitted infections and 83% had been tested. 39% had used SHS for other reasons such as contraception and vaccination against Hepatitis. 72% of eligible responders had up to date smears; 2 % had never had a smear and 4% had a smear more that 10 years ago. Awareness of services – Only 6 % of men and 33 % of women in the survey were aware of specialist sexual health services (SHS) available for these clients. 19% knew about the sexual assault referral centre in Glasgow, Archway. Support received – 72% of the respondents were supported by their friends and 69% by peers, 34% received support from partners or family, 12% accessed counselling services and 6% accessed support groups, 6% utilised alcohol, drugs or prescribed medication respectively. Only 25% of respondents had told their GP or other health staff that they received payment for sex. Exiting – 37% planned to continue their activity indefinitely, 28% wanted to exit in 12 months and 22% in 1 to 3 years. 28% knew how to get help to exit. Dedicated sexual health services – 86% preferred to have dedicated SHS. The majority wanted to access online support for sexual health issues. Author’s contact: Dr Rashmi Ronghe, Consultant in SRH, NHS lanarkshire, Coathill Hospital, Coatbridge ML5 4DN Gender of responders to the survey Reason for exchanging sex for payment Forms of payment receivedDrug use