Cuts to sexual health services imminent.

[HelenaDove]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44353615

I didn't realise how devastating congenital syphilis could be until I saw Martin Freeman's 'Who do you think you are'.

That was after getting and A in my A/O human biology and covering it in Part 1 Biology at uni (we were banned from writing essays on it though as the lecturer said marking piles of them made him itch).

It is surprising the people died from tertiary syphilis before antibiotics came available.

J4Nice if you think 'sleeping around' is the only reason to visit a clinic, you're clearly in a very fortunate area where GP services aren't restricted.

In my area, GP's refer you to the local sexual health clinic, (who then refer you to a hospital for fitting) if you want a coil for medical reasons, or an implant. The clinic runs every other week as it is. Once it's in, the GP surgery won't check it, so you're back there whenever you have an issue. We also have 3 weeks + waits for appointments, so people end up using this clinic to get pretty much standard contraception sorted.

This really scares me. I know what I've described above probably isn't 'the norm' in most areas, but I don't see how we can function with even more cuts here.

J4Nice 🙄

Did you mean to come across so smugly? Let's hope your husband feels the same as you then. It would be awful if you got an STI from him sleeping around and couldn't access the healthcare you needed.

Maybe it will free up funds for the nhs to save lives

Did you read the article? This is not NHS money being saved - these services are run by local councils, who are gradually cutting all services despite increases in Council Tax.

In actual fact, this will cost the NHS money - people will take up GP appointments when they could have gone to a clinic, people will go untreated and need major treatment possibly for life, women may need IVF because of untreated STDs destroying their fertility, those with HIV could infect many others unknowingly, and so on.

I’m sure it’s easier for you to condemn users are promiscuous when that’s not necessarily the case. When I first went to a GUM clinic, I’d had one sexual partner only. People also go there when they’ve been raped or sexually assaulted. Or if they just want to make sure their sexual health is in order, or they want contraception etc.

J4 sexual health/family planning clinics provide a range of services to women that many GP surgeries cannot, such as coil insertion (the Mirena coil is prescribed for a range of medical conditions such as heavy periods, not just as birth control) and removal, smear tests.

Just to make the point as well that not only are things like gonorrhoea increasing in incidence, but they’re becoming multi drug resistant as well. Cutting basic sexual health services is a terrible idea - it will have serious cost and health impacts down the line.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the (Tory!) government in England decentralises and puts responsibilities for public health on to local councils.

Makes it much more politicised and way harder for us to push back and campaign nationally against council cuts when there are a myriad of different providers and approaches in play.

They have literally managed to wash their hands of responsibility for public health provision. This and other measures were so divisive that Andrew Lansley got called toxic and was binned as Health Secretary- but when Jeremy Hunt came in he’s done nothing to reverse it. Was all a fake show of disapproval and scapegoating.

Finally I have heard that Council budgets have been slashed less horrendously in Tory voting areas but I haven’t got stats to hand to prove that. But there’s no question these are ideological, savage cuts.

I was baffled by why the council was getting involved in family planning and sexual health clinics then saw in England they had passed clinics to councils. A mad decision as this is an integral part of the health services

Councils having responsibility for sexual health is utterly barking.

If the council fails to provide decent family planning and sexual health services the costs mostly fall on the NHS (e.g. increased abortion rate and maternity costs).

Family planning should be managed by the NHS they have more of an incentive to get it right.

NHS have expertise in commissioning high quality, cost-effective and joined up sexual health services. Local council’s heads of public health, not so much.

FermatsTheorem explained it better than I can; private companies will step in to 'save' the NHS. There will be drastic changes as a consequence.

If sexual health services have been passed to councils, that makes contraception and abortion a political issue rather than a health issue. As in the US, where abortion rights are constantly under attack, and your ability to access contraception and abortion depends on which state you live in.

J4nice Your silly comment reveals your ignorance of female biology and health. Women in monogamous relationships need contraception.
Some STD's such as thrush or herpes have nothing to do with how many partners you have. And sometimes, partners are unfaithful.

Just for information, J4nice was a troll who has now been ban-hammered.

Really? She had such lovely balanced views

Well it didnt take long This thread was started about this issue today Ive been called a man hater for saying that women need the timely access to contraception that women of previous generations fought for. ..................oh and anal was suggested as an alternative due to sexual health service cuts So fucking predictable. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3374781-NHS-waiting-lists-for-coil-fitting-causing-unplanned-pregnancies?pg=1

Why would an increase in STI's lead to an increase in abortion?

Is anyone else having trouble regarding paragraphs?

Yes I assumed it was my Return button not working.

Why would an increase in STI's lead to an increase in abortion? unprotected sex leads to more sti's and more pregancies.

Yup, for some reason I can't get the return key to work on that thread. Or on this one, it seems. Gah. Still, I posted a bit of a rant on your behalf, Helena.

Fermats its so bloody depressing.

Why would an increase in STI's lead to an increase in abortion? Congenital syphilis and congenital gonorrhea can be passed through the placenta, not just via the birth canal. Herpes is a terrible risk for vaginal birth but no risk at all for a c-section. The others are a risk to the developing feotus. A woman may well decide to abort. I can't do paragraphs either.

Thanks Lass for that clarification. My return button works but not when posting here or elsewhere on the Mumsnet Forums.

Trans people will be affected and this will be bad news for them, although they don't know it yet. The government hopes to take transgenderism out of the mental health sphere and into the sexual health budget (hence TWAW and don't have to have dysphoria necessarily, according to everyone from the Prime Minister down).

This is very worrying. I would advise people to write to their local councils about this. You can find their contact details on www.writetothem.com/

And i think there is a good chance that single and/or young women may withdraw from dating. Eventually then men will notice And its likely that only then will something be done.

graziadaily.co.uk/life/opinion/seems-20-somethings-now-certainly-generation-coil/