Government response to the Health Select Committee's third report of Session 2004-2005 on new developments in sexual health and HIV/AIDS policy / presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health by Command of Her Majesty, July 2005.

  • Great Britain. Department of Health.
Date:
2005
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Government response to the Health Select Committee's third report of Session 2004-2005 on new developments in sexual health and HIV/AIDS policy / presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health by Command of Her Majesty, July 2005. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    most common STI, chlamydia. We are working to accelerate the roll-out of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme so that it will cover the whole country by March 2007. This is much earlier than originally anticipated, and is possible due to the additional investment of £80 million arising from the White Paper. A further £8 million has been allocated to ensure that laboratories are equipped to use the preferred Nucleic Acid Amplification (NAA) test for chlamydia, which is non-invasive and produces the most reliable results. All of these initiatives are taking place against the backdrop of a restructured NHS and a shift towards devolved resources and policy making. To help ensure sexual health is high on the list of local priorities and that new investment is spent effectively, the Government has for the first time built sexual health fully in to the local delivery planning targets and all the improved performance management which goes with this. The Department of Health is working with SHAs to make sure these plans really will deliver improvements on the front line. Sexual health is now included in Primary Care Trusts’ (PCTs’) Local Delivery Plans (LDPs), which will help ensure that sexual health is prioritised at local level and that the funding is not diverted to other areas. The specific activity indicators to be included in LDPs are, in summary: e The percentage of patients attending GUM clinics who are offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours of contacting a service, aiming to reach 100% by 2008. SHAs are advised that they may also find data on contraception use and services helpful and that a national audit of these services will take place. The structure of this LDP line relates to the target set in the White Paper for 48 hours access to GUM clinic services. The introduction of this 48 hour target is intended to bring access to public health services in line with access to other primary care access services. e The number of new diagnosis of gonorrhoea per 100,000 population. Gonorrhoea incident rates provide a useful proxy measure for all STIs and HIV. SHAs may also wish to consider PCT level information on provision of effective contraception, as this can contribute directly towards reducing incidence of STIs. e The percentage of the sexually active population aged 15-24 accepting screening for chlamydia (from April 2006). Criteria for SHA sign-off of plans highlights that 50% of the sexually active population accepting screening for chlamydia each year is achievable. This LDP line was included following the publication of the White Paper to ensure the new sexual health campaign was given the appropriate priority by the NHS.