This is a House of Commons Committee report, with recommendations to government. The Government has two months to respond.
This is the report summary, read the full report.
In 2019, the Local Government Association warned that a failure by the Government to adequately fund sexual health services would result in progress in tackling STIs being reversed. The Government failed to heed those warnings. Funding has reduced year on year and infection rates have increased. In 2022, rates of gonorrhoea were the highest since records began in 1918, with young people most affected. In the same year syphilis cases reached a peak not seen since 1948.
Sexual health services (SHSs) are under severe strain. Many are unable to maintain sufficient staffing to provide an adequate level of service. Around half of SHSs have been unable to offer face to face consultations when contacted. This has equality impacts, for young people who need face-to-face advice and support from trusted adults, but also for other groups likely to struggle to access support online. The Government needs to radically increase the public health grant to local authorities to a level that allows SHSs to operate effectively and meet local need. Such funding needs to be provided over a longer period to reduce the adverse effect of repeated retendering of services.
STIs are not trivial infections, if left untreated common STIs may cause complications and long term health problems but with early diagnosis they can be successfully treated. Effective prevention measures exist in the use of condoms but their use is falling.
In schools, there is compelling evidence that relationships and sex education (RSE) is failing young people. In the absence of authoritative advice, young people are learning about sex and sexual health from online sources, social media and pornography. This exposes children to an unacceptable risk of harm. A greater priority needs to be placed on RSE by the Government, school leaders and Ofsted. The Government needs to do more to make the positive case for sex education in schools, to help parents to see that the provision of information on STIs is a safeguard rather than a threat. The benefits of condom use must be a key part of the curriculum. RSE should be taught up to the age of 18.
The development of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has proven to be extraordinarily effective and presents an opportunity to almost eradicate cervical and other herpes-driven cancers. It is a tragedy that not all children are receiving the vaccine. The Government must step up its efforts to increase take up of the HPV vaccine, including as a first step, by targeting the cohort of children who may have missed out due to the covid-19 pandemic. Given its importance, we recommend that SHSs should also be able to deliver the vaccine to all those who would benefit from receiving it.
A targeted public information campaign on safe sex is required. The campaign should focus on STI prevention among young people and other groups at high risk of infection in areas with the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections and where rates of diagnosis are rising fastest. It should be codesigned by those communities, should normalise discussion of sexual behaviour and be promoted in those online spaces young people are increasingly turning to for advice.
It is evident that a cross sector strategy on sexual health is needed, one which should begin by meeting the needs of young people at the start of their sexual journey. In 2019, the Government committed to delivering a strategy on improving the nation’s sexual health. It is unacceptable that five years later no progress has been made.