48 Hour Access Target for UK Sexual Health Clinics Impossible

	Tweet

The 48 hour access target for all sexual health clinics will be impossible to meet on the basis of current evidence, claims an editorial in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The target is scheduled to take effect in 2008, and was prioritised last week in the NHS Operating Plan for 2006/7, which sets out the business and financial arrangements for the next two years.

The authors, STI co-editor Dr Helen Ward, and immediate past president of the British Association of Sexual Health, Dr Angela Robinson, warn that “failure to deliver on this infection control measure will cost the public purse dearly in the long run”.

Boosting the efficiency of services, which many clinics have already done to cope with rising demand over the past decade, will simply not be enough, they write.

They acknowledge the government’s commitment to improving sexual health service provision, outlined in its public health white paper, Choosing Health, published in November 2004

But cash strapped trusts are simply not ploughing enough money into sexual health, they say.

“The government has earmarked money for investment in services, but it is becoming clear that a considerable proportion of this will not reach sexual health [clinics] as many primary care trusts struggle with deficits and other priorities”

They cite examples of numerous surveys, pointing to continued long waits for access to routine appointments - as high as 28 days in Northern Ireland - and the increasing trend for restricted access.

Almost one in five clinics has introduced a system whereby patients can only ring to enquire about appointment slots up to two days in advance, rather than being given an appointment within the next two days, according to a survey carried out by the BBC programme Panorama in October.

Only 7 per cent of clinics were able to offer a routine appointment within 48 hours, the same survey found.

A forthcoming survey of sexual health leads in primary care trusts and specialist clinicians, due to be published in the next few weeks, is expected to reveal a similarly gloomy picture.

“There is clearly a continued crisis in GUM services in the UK,” write the authors. “… to neglect this area will not just mean patients inconvenienced by long waits ... increased waiting will lead to increased transmission of STI, and potentially of HIV infection”

They add: “Improving access to STI diagnosis and treatment services must be a public health priority at all levels”

Click here to view the full editorial: http://press.psprings.co.uk/sti/february/3_stedfeb06.pdf

RELATED STORIES:
Federal court reviewing Schiavo right-to-die case   Many Clinicians Unaware of Federally Funded Research on Alternative Therapies   EU to test readiness for bird-flu triggered pandemic   Greece to apply smoking ban from July 1   Massachusetts physician groups improving patient experience, study finds   US senators encouraged by Specter asbestos talks   Obama birth-control rule stokes election-year fight   Surviving the Holidays: 10 Tips for Staying Healthy   Senators lift exercise rule from obesity bill   St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Creates Halloween Fun for Patients   Long nursing shifts raise error risk   Arafat collapses, health worsens

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]