The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that without more funding there could be an increase in unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Meanwhile, sexual health services could struggle to deal with situations such as monkeypox outbreaks. He said that while sexual health services working in the community are helping more people than ever before, budgets for public health spending have been “cut”. The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, has published a new report called Breaking point: securing the future of sexual health services, which says there were more than four million appointments to sexual health services in 2021 – a 36% increase since 2013. It also highlights that in 2021 there were almost two million diagnostic tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV carried out by sexual health services – a 19% increase compared to 2020. It further shows:
An increasing number of women are using sexual health services for long-acting contraceptives, including implants and IUDs More than 300,000 new STDs identified in 2021 The number of common STDs found among the over 65s increased by 20% in 2019.
Read more: ‘Unknown’ STI trichomonas vaginalis more common than gonorrhea and increases HIV risk Concern over online STI tests ‘putting users at risk’ ‘Perfect Storm’ The LGA said the increase in need comes after the public health grant to local authorities used to fund sexual health services was cut by more than £1bn between 2015/16 and 2020/21. Now he is calling on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to commit to supporting increased demand for sexual health care in Thursday’s budget statement. David Fothergill, chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said the “perfect storm” of increased demand for services alongside ongoing funding cuts was “unsustainable” and “risked reversing the encouraging decline in some STIs and potential increases in unwanted pregnancies”. . Read more: Sexual health charity says it can no longer support government ‘flawed’ monkeypox communications strategy Safe sex messaging service has failed to curb sexually transmitted infections He said the only way to combat this was with “long-term increases in public health funding” in the statement. “Cuts to sexual health spending, like other areas of public health spending, are a false economy,” he said. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said more than £3.4 billion had been provided to local authorities in England this year to fund public health services, including sexual and reproductive health. “Local authorities are responsible for providing open access sexual and reproductive health services, including free and confidential HIV and STD testing, condoms, provision of the HIV prevention drug PrEP, vaccination and contraceptive advice,” they added.
