Sexual health clinics at "breaking point", councils warn
The Local Government Association say two-thirds of council areas have seen an increase in sexually transmitted infections since 2017
Last updated 20th Jan 2024
There's warnings sexual health services are at "breaking point" as parts of the UK see a significant rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
New data published by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests two-thirds of council areas in England have seen rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis rise since 2017.
It includes ten which have seen diagnoses of gonorrhoea triple - with the largest rate increases in Wigan, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Torbay.
Meanwhile ten London boroughs had the most diagnoses per 100,000 people - with Lambeth the highest.
Meanwhile, 71% of council areas have seen a rise in cases of syphilis, with Middlesbrough, the Isle of Wight, Darlington, and Redcar & Cleveland seeing the biggest jumps.
The LGA are calling for more government funding for local sexual health clinics.
They say an average £880m cut to their public health grant meant they were unable to meet the increased demand for testing, contraception and treatment.
The Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr David Fothergill, said the new data shows "local sexual health services are grappling with unprecedented increases in demand."
He's calling on the Government "to ensure sexual health funding is increased to levels which matches these stark increases."
“Councils have been working hard to encourage more people to access sexual health services and get tested more regularly to help improve detection rates and catch infections early.
“Investment in sexual health services helps to prevent longer term illness and unwanted pregnancies, reducing pressure on our NHS and improving the health of people across our communities.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said over £3.5 billion has been allocated to local authorities in England "to fund public health services, including sexual health services, and this funding will increase in each of the next three years."
“We continue to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency, local authorities and NHS England to manage pressures on sexual reproductive health services and improve access to routine services.”