Rising cases of sexually transmitted infections and decreasing levels of funding are pushing sexual health services to ‘breaking point’, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
More than two thirds of council areas have seen rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis increase since 2017, the LGA said, while demand for sexual health services has continued to grow, with 13% more diagnostic tests carried out in 2022 than in 2021.
The association acknowledged that some of the rise in diagnoses can be attributed to increased testing, but said it believes the scale of cases suggests a higher number of infections in the community.
While demand for services has risen, funding has reduced, the LGA added. It found that between 2015 and 2024, the public health grant received by councils has been reduced in real terms by £880m based on 2022-23 prices.
The LGA urged the Government to urgently publish 2024-25 public health grant allocations and set out a long-term plan to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections.
The chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, David Fothergill, said: ‘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.’
