The Access Project: Women Lifting Women Up in Nottingham

In Nottingham, something powerful has been unfolding quietly; on side streets, in clinics, in hostels and on pavements late at night. It is happening because a small group of women decided that other women deserved better.

The Access Project began in late 2023, when Non-Medical Prescriber/Nurse Beth Maloney realised how many women weren’t able to access sexual health and contraception services via mainstream channels. For Beth, it was clear the issue wasn’t choice but access, and the women deserved the support.

Using her prescribing rights and by forming partnerships with NUH Sexual Health Services, she did what she knew was right and gave these women the contraception they wanted and needed. That small step sparked a much bigger shift.

In April 2024, in partnership with NUH Sexual Health Services, Beth helped set up a small walk‑in clinic at Victoria Health Centre. It ran for just two hours once a month, but it quickly became far more than a contraception clinic. Women came for STI testing and treatment, smear tests, and all forms of contraception implants and coils, but also for warmth, food, toiletries and the reassurance of being greeted by the same small, handpicked team every time.

In its first year, over one hundred women accessed the clinic or Beth’s support, with around three hundred separate health interventions recorded. Each one represents a barrier removed.

The work didn’t stop there. Knowing many women struggle to reach appointments, the team developed a “golden ticket” approach with sexual health services. Any woman supported by Beth, substance use midwives or partner organisations like Nottingham Recovery Network and The Health Shop, can now walk in for treatment without navigating the usual booking system. For women living in difficult circumstances that often consist of multiple challenges, this flexibility is life-saving.

Then came late‑night outreach. When a local charity supporting sex workers temporarily suspended its services, no one was providing harm‑reduction support at night. So every Wednesday, from nine until eleven, Beth and colleagues went out themselves. They handed out condoms, crack pipes, wipes, naloxone, food, warm clothes and quiet words of encouragement.

The impact has been profound. One woman is working her way out of the cycle of offending and short prison stays and is now starting to rebuild her life. Another, who’d had concerning symptoms for over a year but was too anxious to attend clinic alone, was diagnosed and supported into cancer treatment and is now cancer‑free, in recovery and now in safe and supported accommodation.

What makes the Access Project unique is the staff’s dedication to treating the individual, not just the problem. For some, this means paying for taxis to appointments. For another, it meant buying a blood pressure monitor so she could safely start HRT. Relationships and trust are central to helping women engage in harm‑reduction care.

Much of the work goes beyond contraception and sexual health. It has also helped women access much needed drug and alcohol treatment via Nottingham Recovery Network and their criminal justice pathway, Clean Slate, by working differently and assertively. This joined up approach provides women with another element of support in a life where they simply just need an advocate. We are grateful to all teams at the Wellbeing Hub for everything they do to support the project. 

Beth highlights that all these women are dealing with multiple issues at once: from domestic violence to substance use, exploitation, ongoing sexual violence and criminal justice involvement. Removing just one source of pressure can really help.

The Access Project also wants to challenge the stigma and shame surrounding these experiences. They emphasise that missing an appointment doesn’t mean someone is refusing help – there are countless reasons why attendance can be difficult. It’s about thinking creatively and being their advocate to make sure none of these women are left behind.

As International Women’s Day approaches, this year’s theme – Give to Gain – could not be more fitting. Every donated item helps a woman take a step closer to safety, dignity and health.

If you would like to support The Access Project, the items they need most are:

• Wipes
• Deodorant
• Pocket tissues
• Drinks cartons/cans
• Chocolate, sweets, biscuits, crisps
• Small knickers (size 8-10)
• Small leggings (size 8-10)
• Socks
• Body spray/perfume.

Items can be dropped off in person to The Health Shop on 12 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL or ordered online for delivery to the same address.

To everyone who has donated so far, thank you. And a special thank you to the women powering this work – Beth, George, Sophie, Jess, Lou, Gemma , Mo, Hannah, Maria, Anna, the two Sarah’s and countess other women across NRN, Clean Slate and Nottingham Sexual Health Services. Women supporting women, every single day.