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Since 1964, we have embraced Helen Brook’s trailblazing dedication to the sexual health needs of unmarried women, despite facing intense public controversy. Sixty years later, we remain committed to this legacy, pioneering innovative services that address evolving community needs and challenge societal norms.
We recognise the interconnectedness of good sexual and mental health. That’s why we have leveraged our trusted brand to provide innovative early intervention mental health and suicide prevention services.
Expanding our support across all ages, we’ve been working hard to improve reproductive health and wellbeing provision for adults, particularly women’s health. We have also made strides in filling the knowledge gaps impacted by insufficient RSE.
Read more about our ongoing commitments to driving innovation in our 2023-2026 strategy
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With funding from the Department of Health and Social Care Women’s Health and Wellbeing Fund, we are fighting stigma and improving the lives of Cornwall residents experiencing peri-menopause and menopause in the workplace. Commissioned until March 2025, the Menopause in the Workplace pilot aims to revolutionise workplace understanding and support surrounding menopause through a combination of free training sessions for local businesses, our menopause My Life programme for employees and digital outreach.
To ensure that our training and support is inclusive and accessible, we collaborate with a range of community organisations including Cornwall Pride, Black Voices, transgender community groups and groups for neurodivergent people.
I found the session really helpful both on a professional and personal level! I feel like I learned a lot regarding recognising the symptoms of menopause and the reasons behind why the symptoms occur. Really recommend the training to anyone!
Training participant, Cornwall Menopause Project
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Brook’s new My Life programme launched in April 2023 targeting adults over 18 in Buckinghamshire. The one-to-one sessions are tailored to individual needs and provide confidential and non-judgmental support. Covering topics such as relationships, coping mechanisms and self-esteem, the goals are to improve resilience and self-worth, thereby improving mental health, sexual health and wellbeing outcomes.
Brook conducts and uses data and evidence to improve our services as well as fight for strategic policy commitments to sexual and reproductive health, and meaningful investment in both specialist and universal services. In 23/24 we led two comprehensive research projects.
EASY, is our collection of data on the attitudes, experiences and voices of more than 2,700 young people in England and Wales. Inspired by the CONUNDRUM project in Scotland, the research responds to the alarming rise in STI rates, the reduced uptake of condoms and contraception, increased spread of misinformation via online platforms and the lack of access to services and education.
24%
did not feel it was important to test themselves for STIs before unprotected sex.
Our literature review on the intersections of mental health and sexual health looks specifically at the existing evidence, Brook practitioners’ experiences of supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing and learning from young people’s experiences of accessing mental health and wellbeing support at Brook.
The insights and recommendations from this piece of work provide tangible solutions to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for young people and further demonstrate the desperate need for new interventions and Brook’s relevance in delivering this work.
In 23/24 we worked hard to innovate and redevelop our wellbeing offer in response to the devastating shortfall in mental health provision for young people.
Thanks to funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud to launch a pioneering a new model in Cornwall offering place-based integrated mental health, sexual health and wellbeing support services for young people. This new accessible community hub will provide early intervention mental health and suicide prevention services to 11–25 year-olds through 1:1 work, small groups and family development programmes. We secured further funding from a charitable trust to develop our second community hub in 2024.
We believe that the crisis in young people’s mental health isn’t a narrative that is set in stone. Having normalised access to sexual health services for young people, Brook is excited to be rewriting the narrative for young people’s mental health.
Dougie Boyd, Director of Education and Innovation, Brook
In June 2023 we launched Brook Aspire, a trading subsidiary of Brook, as a vehicle for Brook to grow its commercial trading activity. Governed by an independent Board, Brook Aspire aims to generate ethical and sustainable income for Brook through innovative new projects such as working with local community organisations, paid-for service provision, incubating social enterprise and expanding mental health and wellbeing services.
In the first six months, Brook Aspire has been reviewing existing opportunities for commercial growth and scoping new trading activities including the development of a commercial menopause support offer.
Brook invests in the wellbeing of staff, and we understand how vital it is to have a healthy work-life balance. This was the driving force behind the introduction of our ambitious Four-Day Week initiative which, following a successful six-month pilot, has now become a permanent benefit to Brook employees.
Key findings from the Four Day Week evaluation:
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Challenging inequality
Increasing accessibility
Fighting stigma