Towards a supportive policy and commissioning environment for chemsex in England

The use of drugs in sexual settings among gay men (colloquially referred to as 'chemsex') was first observed in services supporting gay men in London in the late 2000s. A decade on and it now features as a policy issue in the UK Government's latest Drug Strategy, with several actions to support a health system response. However, reaching this point has been a slow and challenging process and much remains to be done to facilitate an environment in which evidence-based chemsex interventions can be delivered. With a view to informing the development of policies and services in other contexts, this case report examines the initiatives that have driven a response to chemsex and contributed to policy development in England and highlights remaining challenges to effective service provision.