Two thirds of local councils have cut funding for sexual and reproductive health services

Published: 12 September 2018

Two thirds of local councils have cut funding for sexual and reproductive health services according to the results of FOI requests carried out by the Advisory Group for Contraception. These cuts have led to reductions in the number of sites commissioned to deliver contraceptive services in half of all council areas since 2015/16.

There are growing concerns that funding constraints are increasing health inequality with 60% of councils in areas of the highest deprivation reducing budgets, and most of those planning further cuts.

This report comes hot on the heels of a statement from the Local Government Association which says that in that in the context of rising demand for sexual health services £600m in public health cuts has left the whole system ‘at tipping point’.

Last month Public Health England published an Economic Analysis of the Return on Investment (ROI) of spending on contraception. The report finds that each £1 invested in publicly funded contraception saving up to £9 over the next 10 years from local authority and NHS budgets.

Brook has seen first-hand the way in which shrinking budgets are limiting the range of commissioned services and the staff capacity in those that continue to run.

Lisa Hallgarten, Brook Head of Policy and Public Affairs said:

Brook’s sexual health clinics are designed around the needs and lives of young people. We are concerned that closures of specialist services like ours are forcing young people to compete for appointments in all-age services that are already overstretched and turning people away. There is no spare capacity in the system and we are extremely worried about those vulnerable young people who may be falling through the cracks and failing to access the contraception or STI treatment they need when they need it.

We call for adequate funding to ensure easy access to the full range of effective contraceptive methods across the country, and speedy access for anyone seeking STI testing and treatment. This would support good clinical practice and make good economic sense.”

For more information contact press@brook.org.uk.

For media enquiries please contact Brook's press office on 07789 682831 or email press@brook.org.uk

Notes to editors

Brook believes that young people should have access to great sexual health services and wellbeing support.

Brook provides free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and education programmes, reaching nearly 235,000 young people nationwide every year.
 
Read our Strategic Plan 2017-2020 and learn more about the difference we make in our latest Success Report.