Sexual health services ‘reaching a tipping point’, warns LGA

The Local Government Association (LGA) is warning that sexual health services across the country are coming under an unsustainable level of pressure.

Figures from the organisation have indicated that in 2016, there were 2.46 million new attendances at sexual health clinics, up from 1.94 million in 2012. This has coincided with central government cuts to councils' public health budgets of 531 million pounds – a reduction of nearly 10 percent.

Although the number of new diagnoses of sexually-transmitted infections fell by four percent in 2016, local authorities are increasingly struggling to keep up with the increased demand for sexual health services due to the lack of resources.

As such, it was warned that waiting times could be set to increase while patient experiences deteriorate, unless a fresh pledge of funding is announced.

Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the LGA's community wellbeing board, said: "It is obviously good news that diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections are down, but sexual health services are now reaching a tipping point where it will be extremely challenging to maintain this progress."

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