Sexual health funding not reaching target
Primary care trusts are using funds intended for sexual health services to clear budget deficits, a survey by the Independent
Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV shows.
According to the survey, 51 of 191 PCTs questioned had absorbed their
entire allocation of the £300m offered to sexual health services
over three years by the Government in line with its “Choosing health” White
Paper. A further 33 PCTs had withheld some or most of their allocated
sum.
Anne Weyman, chief executive of the fpa, said: “The Government’s
promise to make sexual health a priority has been fatally compromised
by their failure to insist that new money reaches front-line services.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health commented: “PCTs are responsible
for meeting the sexual health needs of their local populations, measured
against clear government targets. We have provided PCTs with more sexual
health funding than ever before, but it is up to local NHS organisations
to decide how to manage their budgets to deliver services to best meet
local needs — what really matters is the outcomes.” |
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