Sexual health services at tipping point

The Local Government Association claims that a surge in demand for sexual health services at a time of cuts to local council funding is leaving the service at risk of collapse.

Council leaders warn that record demand for sexual health services in England has seen visits to clinics reach 3.3 million a year, putting the system under huge pressure and leaving people facing longer waits for appointments. The 3,323,275 attendances at sexual health clinics in England last year was a 13 per cent increase on attendances in 2013, an extra 210 a day, or 1,471 a week.

The total number of sexual health screens, used for tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV, has risen 18 per cent during this time period.

The LGA, which claims that some people are having to be turned away from clinics because all appointments for that day are fully booked, is urging government to reverse £600 million in public health cuts to help councils meet rising demand for sexual health services and prevent people from experiencing potentially longer waiting times and a reduced quality of service.

Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “While it’s great to see a huge increase in people taking their sexual health seriously, this rising demand is pushing some councils’ sexual health services to peak capacity levels which are not sustainable in the long-term.

“With capacity and resources already being stretched to the limit, clinics are reporting an increase in the number of lengthy delays and people having to be turned away as appointments are fully booked. Demand for sexual health services has risen successively for the past five years and there is a real risk of waiting times increasing and patient experience deteriorating.

“Cuts to public health funding need to be reversed as this could affect councils’ ability to meet further increases in demand and respond to unforeseen outbreaks of sexually transmitted infections. While it’s good news that diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections have fallen, it will be hard to maintain this progress with some sexual health services at breaking point.”