Poor sexual health plans condemned

Local health services were condemned today for failing to make sexual healthcare a priority despite the spiralling rate of sexually transmitted infections.

Contraceptive and sexual health charities criticised primary care trusts (PCTs), which commission local healthcare services, for an "alarming" lack of planning in efforts to tackle sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The charities, including Brook, the Family Planning Association (fpa) and the Terrence Higgins Trust, found that despite the government investing an additional £250m to improve sexual health services between 2006 and 2008, around half PCTs' plans for these services over that period were poor.

Only 30% of the local delivery plans of 44 PCTs examined by the charities mentioned targeted planned investment in sexual health, more than half failed to mention HIV, nearly 50% did not address reducing gonorrhoea, with more than 40% failed to mention tackling STIs in general.

A third of the plans did not mention any work to achieve a maximum 48-hour wait for access to genito-urinary medicine clinics, while 23% did not discuss increasing uptake of screening for the commonest STI chlamydia among 15 to 24-year-olds.

Only 52% of the plans mentioned abortion services, and those which did looked primarily at improving services for teenagers, although women in their 20s are most likely to seek a termination.

The charities called for the Department of Health to make improving sexual a top priority for the NHS. Anne Weyman, chief executive of the fpa, said she was "extremely dismayed" by the survey's findings.

James Johnson, chairman of the British Medical Association, said: "At a time when many areas of the health service are showing signs of improvement, it is appalling that sexual health services are actually getting worse."

"The rates of sexually transmitted infections in England are soaring and patients can wait up to six weeks for an appointment. The government has provided PCTs with funds to improve sexual health and I call on ministers to hold PCTs to account and deliver on this public priority."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the department had made clear to PCTs that they must take action to improve sexual health services. She claimed that improvements had already been achieved, such as a 10% reduction in rates of gonorrhoea.