The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7254 p854
21 June 2003

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

News summary

Sexual health in crisis and services are ill-equipped

Sexual health services appear to be ill-equipped to deal with the crisis that confronts them, the authors of a Government health committee report say.

They warn of a rapid decline in sexual health in England, with around one in 10 sexually active young women being infected with chlamydia. They add that syphilis rates have increased by 500 per cent in the past six years and that rates for gonorrhoea have doubled.

The provision of HIV/AIDS services is highlighted by the report authors, who acknowledge that improved treatments have altered the way the disease affects patients' health and lifestyles. However, they point out that poor adherence to treatment has led to the development of resistance and transmission of resistant strains of HIV.

Ideally, HIV clinics should have access to the services of pharmacists. However, the authors of the report note that some clinics have access to no support services. "Repeated attempts by consultants [in Cornwall] to obtain basic dedicated support services such as dietetics and pharmacy for HIV patients have foundered," they say.

The authors recommend that urgent steps be taken to ensure access to high quality services and suggest that this would be best achieved with a dedicated national service framework for sexual health.