The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned sexual health services are at a ‘tipping point’ as visits have soared by up a quarter in the past five years.
Figures published today by the LGA show there were 2,456,779 new attendances at sexual health clinics in 2016, compared with 1,941,801 in 2012.
But the LGA warned central government’s cuts to public health budgets of has left local authorities struggling to keep up with increased demand for sexual health services.
And while the number of new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections fell by 4% in 2016, councils are warning that it will be ‘extremely challenging’ to maintain services at the current level.
The LGA has called on the Government to reverse public health cuts as the funding is desperately needed to meet the increasing demand.
‘We are concerned that this will see waiting times start to increase and patient experience deteriorate,’ said the chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe.
‘The reduction in public health funding could also compound problems further and impact on councils’ ability to meet demand and respond to unforeseen outbreaks.
‘Once again this is an example of councils inheriting the responsibility of public health when it was transferred from the NHS in 2013, but without the necessary resources to deliver services,’ added Cllr Seccombe.
