The first national strategy on sexual health and HIV services has been
published by the Government, backed by a commitment to spend £47.5m on existing
services.
Key to the campaign is the first national information service to promote
safe sex and prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.
Other initiatives include increasing access to sexual health services within
primary care and widening the role of nurses, routine HIV testing in all sexual
health clinics, offering hepatitis B vaccination in clinics and the trial of
one-stop sexual health services.
The strategy’s launch coincides with official statistics from the Public
Health Laboratory Service showing a rise in sexually transmitted infections –
notably gonorrhoea and chlamydia.
More than 3,500 new diagnoses of HIV infection were also reported in the UK
for last year, the highest ever annual total.
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Professor Michael Adler, an STD/HIV specialist who jointly led the
development of the strategy with deputy chief medical officer Dr Sheila Adam,
said, "This strategy will change the way that services are provided
alongside setting targets to reduce the number of new infections and the number
of undiagnosed infections."
For copies of the strategy call 08701 555 455.
