The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)

What The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) does

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) is the UK's leading professional membership organisation for clinicians, nurses, researchers, and allied professionals working in sexual health and HIV. Founded to advance the science and practice of the field, BASHH operates as a registered charity with approximately 1,000 members and positions itself as the largest dedicated sexual health professional body in the world. Its organisational structure comprises 16 regional branches across the UK and 14 special interest groups that maintain sub-discipline communities across the clinical and research agenda.

BASHH's core products are authoritative clinical guidelines and standards (e.g., PEPSE 2025 produced jointly with BHIVA), a portfolio of competency-based training programmes (STIF Core, STIF Intermediate, and the FRESH sexual and reproductive health course), recurring conferences (the BASHH Annual Conference and the co-organised Spring SAS / SASHA Conference), and peer-reviewed journals including the International Journal of STD and AIDS. Member services include access to educational resources, clinical evaluation tools, and patient information materials, all distributed through the organisation's digital platforms and regional branch network.

The business model is a non-profit, multi-revenue-stream model. Income is generated from tiered membership subscriptions (ranging from free student memberships to £293/year for Fellows), delegate fees for conferences and training courses, journal subscription and publication revenue, and educational grants or sponsorship. There are no equity funding rounds, no public financials, and no disclosed headcount. Strategic anchoring rests on partnerships with BHIVA, NHIVNA, CoSRH, NHS England, and other national bodies that co-produce guidelines and convene the field.

Name

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)

Legal name

British Association For Sexual Health And HIV

Website

https://bashh.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BASHH is the UK's professional membership body for sexual health and HIV clinicians, serving roughly 1,000 members through clinical guidelines, training courses, conferences, and journals, funded by tiered subscriptions and event revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning (SRH/FP) Programs (BPADAIAD)

Keywords

• Professional medical association
• Clinical guidelines publishing
• Medical education and training
• Sexual health specialty
• Medical membership organization

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees ranging from free (students) to £293/year (Fellows). Multiple tiers exist for different professional categories including doctors, nurses, health advisers, and clinical scientists. Optional journal subscriptions add £41-155 to annual fees.
2. Conference and Event Fees: Revenue generated from conference registrations (e.g., SAS Conference 2026: £225-300 depending on membership status and booking period), training courses, and educational events. Some events offered free to members.
3. Journal Access: Members can add journal subscriptions (International Journal of STD & AIDS) to their membership for additional annual fees.
4. Educational Courses: Revenue from training courses including the STI Foundation Competencies Trainer Training and other educational programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BASHH is the UK's leading professional membership organization for sexual health and HIV care, providing tiered membership to approximately 1,000 healthcare professionals, producing authoritative clinical guidelines and standards, publishing peer-reviewed journals, and delivering continuing professional development through conferences, webinars, and competency-based training such as the STI Foundation (STIF) program. The organization also serves the public through patient information leaflets and a clinic finder tool.

Product overview

BASHH functions as a professional membership organization rather than a product company. The core "product" is membership access to a comprehensive suite of professional development, clinical resources, and community engagement tools. The portfolio includes: membership programs with tiered access levels and optional journal bundles; educational offerings through STI Foundation (STIF) training, BASHH Dip GUM STI-HIV Theory Course, BSIG microscopy e-learning, and BASHH Bitesize webinar series; clinical resources including BASHH Guidelines, Standards, and Patient Information Leaflets; publications through affiliated journals (International Journal of STD & AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections); events including the Annual Conference and regional meetings; and community networks through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Regional Branches. The organization also provides a public clinic finder service. These components work together to support healthcare professionals in sexual health care through education, standards, and professional networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BASHH Membership Tiered membership program offering healthcare professionals access to scientific meetings, quarterly newsletters, reduced conference rates, voting rights, and free access to the International Journal of STD & AIDS. Categories include Fellow, GP, Specialty Doctor, Nurses, Health Advisers, Clinical Scientists, and Students with optional journal inclusions.
• BASHH Annual Conference Annual conference bringing together sexual health professionals for education, networking, and the latest research presentations in HIV and sexual health.
• STI Foundation (STIF) Competency Training STI Foundation providing competency training courses and trainer certification for healthcare practitioners in sexual health, including STI competencies and microscopy training. All registered STIF Competency Trainers are required to be members of BASHH.
• BASHH Bitesize Webinars Online educational webinar series offering members free access to scientific content, including climate and health briefings and clinical education sessions such as the People's Emergency Briefing.
• BASHH Clinical Guidelines Evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and related sexual health conditions produced by the organization.
• BASHH Standards Standards documents defining quality requirements and best practices for sexual health services and clinical care delivery.
• BASHH Patient Information Leaflets Patient-facing educational materials providing accessible information about sexual health conditions, treatments, and services.
• International Journal of STD & AIDS Peer-reviewed clinical journal providing research on sexually transmissible infections, HIV, and AIDS, available free to BASHH members.
• Sexually Transmitted Infections Journal World's longest running international journal on sexual health publishing original research, epidemiology, and clinical reviews on sexual health topics.
• BSIG Microscopy E-learning Free educational website developed by the Bacterial Special Interest Group covering detailed investigations for bacterial STIs with a focus on microscopy techniques.
• BASHH Dip GUM STI-HIV Theory Course Structured theory course covering genitourinary medicine, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV for healthcare professionals.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Organized member groups focused on specific areas including Adolescent Sexual Health, Bacterial STIs, HIV & BBV, HPV, Prison Health, and Sustainable Healthcare.
• BASHH Regional Branches Local branch network providing regional education and professional support across UK regions including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and English regions.
• Find Your Nearest Clinic (Clinic Finder) Public-facing clinic finder tool enabling individuals to locate nearby sexual health services across the UK.

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest sexual health professional organization in the world with approximately 1,000 members

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British HIV Association (BHIVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2026BASHH and BHIVA collaborate on joint statements, conferences, and initiatives. They recently issued a joint statement on supporting trans and non-binary colleagues and patients. The organizations co-host the BHIVA/BASHH annual conference (e.g., BHIVA/BASHH 2026) and collaborate on sustainable healthcare initiatives through a joint SIG.
• STI Foundation (STIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTI Foundation is BASHH's primary vehicle for delivering competency-based training in sexually transmitted infections. BASHH facilitates STIF courses, trainer training, and competency frameworks for sexual health professionals. All registered STIF Competency Trainers are required to be members of BASHH.
• National HIV Nurses Association (NHIVNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHIVNA collaborates with BASHH on the HIV and integrated sexual health advanced practice framework and HIV-related education. BASHH's STI Foundation trainer requirements note that trainers for NHIVNA qualifications need BHIVA or NHIVNA membership if not BASHH members.
• College of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoSRH collaborated with BASHH on the HIV and integrated sexual health advanced practice curriculum framework. The organizations share expertise in integrated sexual health service delivery and education.
• Centre for Sustainable HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASHH BHIVA Sustainable Healthcare SIG's '10 Steps to a Greener Sexual Health and HIV Clinic' document is endorsed by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. The Centre provides education courses and resources for sustainable healthcare practice.
• UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASHH and BHIVA are both members of UKHACC, which forms an alliance of UK-based health organisations working on climate and health issues.
• NHS England Centre for Advancing PracticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS England Centre for Advancing Practice has endorsed the HIV and integrated sexual health advanced practice area specific capability and curriculum framework produced by BASHH in collaboration with NHIVNA and CoSRH.
• Royal College of Nursing (RCN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCN endorsement was sought for the HIV and integrated sexual health advanced practice framework. RCN has additional guidance for advanced practice applicable across the four UK nations. BASHH's Sexual Health Adviser & Nurse SIG collaborates with RCN on sexual health topics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Sexual Health Association (ASHA): US-based sexual health organisation delivering public and professional education, helplines, and resources. ASHA mirrors BASHH's dual professional-plus-public-facing remit and is a useful comparator for non-clinical sexual health programming.
• International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI): International professional society focused on STIs. IUSTI operates a comparable membership, conference, and guidelines model at a global level, making it the most direct international analogue to BASHH's activities.
• College of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH): UK college focused on sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals. CoSRH collaborates with BASHH on the HIV and integrated sexual health advanced practice curriculum framework, indicating direct overlap in workforce training and standards.
• National HIV Nurses Association (NHIVNA): UK professional network for nurses working in HIV. NHIVNA co-produces education and advanced practice frameworks with BASHH and serves a substantially overlapping nursing membership base in integrated sexual health.
• International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR): International scientific society promoting research on STDs. ISSTDR's research-conference and member community model closely parallels BASHH's scientific meetings and journal activities, particularly in the STI research domain.
• British HIV Association (BHIVA): UK professional membership organisation for clinicians working in HIV. BHIVA is BASHH's closest counterpart in the HIV sub-domain, co-hosts the BHIVA/BASHH annual conference, and operates under a similar membership-and-events model.
• Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH): UK professional body for sexual and reproductive healthcare. FSRH overlaps with BASHH in SRH training, clinical standards, and membership services, and competes for the same clinician audience in integrated sexual health services.

Regional players

• Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM): Peak professional body for HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexual health clinicians in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. ASHM operates a similar membership, guidelines, and training model to BASHH but is geographically concentrated outside the UK.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Society of Medicine: UK-wide learned society offering membership, events, and education across all medical specialties, including sexual health. Comparable to BASHH on the professional society and events model, but operating as a broad incumbent rather than a specialist body.
• Royal College of Physicians of London: Large UK medical royal college that includes physicians working in sexual health and HIV within its broader remit. It provides a wider professional membership umbrella but does not specialise in sexual health.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BASHH_UK
• Facebookfacebook.com/BASHHUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bashh
• Instagraminstagram.com/bashh_uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)