Genito-urinary Medicine

(asked on 12th February 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) is the purpose, and (2) are the objectives, of the national sexual health and reproductive health strategy.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 26th February 2020

Local authorities in England are mandated to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services including access to the full range of contraception and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. The Government provides funding to local authorities for their public health responsibilities, including sexual health services, through the public health grant. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for sexual health services taking account of their statutory duties. Consultations at sexual health services increased by 15% between 2014 and 2018 (from 3,101,960 to 3,561,548).

Work on the development of a new national sexual and reproductive health strategy is underway with the Department working with Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement, local government and other partners. Initial engagement has already taken place and we are considering the response to the Green Paper Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s along with suggestions for priority areas for the new strategy we received through the consultation process. Details of the strategy’s scope and objectives will be announced in due course.

There are currently no plans to reintroduce the mandatory 48 hour access guideline for sexual health services in England.

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