Driving Innovation in 25/26

Helen Brook’s bold and fearless approach in 1964 has underpinned our work ever since and we are passionate about pioneering innovative services to improve health outcomes for diverse communities. Our holistic approach to sexual health provision has always addressed people’s broader wellbeing concerns. We continue to build on the trust invested in us and are determined to expand and reach more people than ever.

Innovation in mental health early intervention

In 2024, Brook opened new wellbeing hubs at the heart of local communities to help address the devastating shortfall in mental health provision for young people. The two hubs, in Blackburn and Cornwall, offer place-based early intervention mental health support for young people aged 11-24 with self-referral options. Whether through our unique My Life one-to-one sessions or innovative mental health literacy programme, the hubs provide young people access to trained specialists and counsellors to improve their wellbeing. The hubs are co-located with Brook’s sexual health clinics and enhance our capacity to provide communities with holistic care which recognises the intrinsic links between mental and sexual health. Alongside our work in the hubs, Brook delivers our one-to-one support programme in schools across the country and, in the past year, has provided over 4,053 interventions for young people.

I’ve had bad experiences with counselling/therapy before but sessions here helped me trust counselling again. I was having a dip in mental health and access to these free sessions worked as early intervention and stopped my mental health from worsening.”

Blackburn Wellbeing Hub service user

We have been offered the most incredible support from Brook’s counsellor, who has managed to build such a strong rapport with our son, who finds relationship building and trust a tricky thing to navigate. She has so naturally helped him express his emotions and feelings in an effective way whilst offering him ongoing support with his daily struggles. We are so grateful for Brook and the work they have put in to making navigating day to day big feelings more manageable for our son. Thank you Brook!”

Blackburn Wellbeing Hub service user

I’ve never felt so taken care of or listened to in my life, it made me understand myself a little bit more each time I came and it was a really massive help for me and even helped me with my family issues. This has honestly been the best counselling I’ve had and I would recommend it again.”

Blackburn Wellbeing Hub service user

Innovation in condom distribution

With diagnoses of STIs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis reaching record highs, and teen pregnancies increasing for the first time in over 14 years, it is vital that young people have easy access to condoms. Yet Brook’s research has shown that young people face many barriers, with 49% saying they don’t know where to get free condoms and 58% reporting that they would be too embarrassed to discuss how to access them with someone.

Following extensive engagement with young people, commissioners and our own health promotion teams, Brook has evolved its condom distribution model to directly address these challenges. The new approach removes the barriers identified by young people such as the registration and data capture processes and the requirement to present a physical card at outlets. Greater emphasis is placed on empowering staff at distribution sites to use their professional judgment, ensuring ease of access while maintaining safeguarding standards. 

This revised condom distribution scheme was rolled out in April 2025 in Manchester and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, before being introduced in our Cornwall and Dudley services. The new approach has been a huge success; in our BNSSG service we distributed over 71,600 condoms, a 784% increase on those distributed the previous year. This new approach is now being introduced in our services in Sefton, Buckinghamshire, and Camden and Islington.