Local sexual health services are at breaking point as attendance has skyrocketed while funding has reduced, a new LGA report has warned.
Analysis by the LGA has found that there were more than four million consultations at sexual health services in 2021, a 16 per cent increase compared with 2020 and an increase of 36 per cent since 2013.
At the same time, more than £1 billion has been cut from councils’ public health grant, resulting in a 17 per cent reduction in spending on STI testing, contraception and treatment over the past seven years.
Council-commissioned sexual health services also continue to play an important role in tackling the monkeypox outbreak, helping to identify the first cases of the infection as well as supporting the rollout of a successful vaccination campaign.
The LGA continues to call on the Government to reverse funding cuts and provide long-term increases to manage the rise in demand, following an Autumn Statement in which public health was ignored.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said it was “really encouraging” to see so many people taking their sexual and reproductive health seriously.
But he added: “Councils are facing a perfect storm of increased demand for services while at the same time continued cuts to their funding.
“This is unsustainable and risks a reversal in the encouraging fall in some STIs and potential increases in unwanted pregnancies.
There can be no sustainable long-term solution to NHS pressures unless we have an equally sustainable solution for public health.”