London’s HIV prevention programme cut

Published March 21 2013 inSexual Health
stopwatch1 minutes read

In the UK, London has the highest proportion and number of people who are living with HIV in the country.  However, the funding to prevent new infections has been cut, despite record numbers of people being found to be HIV+.

 

Although funding for prevention is halved, the cost to the NHS is supporting and treating those who are HIV+ is 20 times the new amount spent on prevention, showing that the resources are spent once someone is diagnosed as opposed to preventing infection in the first place.  Although this scenario is common across many public spending areas in the UK, it is this short term thinking that prevents improvements in society as Ministers are dealing with those in need, not prevention.  This is a hard job to balance when UK  public spending is subject to cuts.

From 1 April 2013, Sexual health testing will become the responsibility of Local Authorities, not the NHS, with many of them facing large budget cuts and there will be an impact on accessing services.

If you are concerned about your Sexual Health, don’t worry, Better2Know is here to help, we have a lot of information on this blog and our website, and we can arrange testing if you like with results in 1 to 5 days depending on the tests you want.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike has been delivering world class Sexually Transmitted Infections testing services to Better2Know patients around the world for over ten years. He has written extensively on the subject, including numerous blogs for Better2Know which are designed to demystify the complex intricacies of sexual health testing. Mike wants to help his readers understand the risks they take in their daily sexual lives and provide the information they need when choosing an STI or STD test in a clear, concise and understandable way. Mike is particularly interested in writing about viral STIs like HIV and Hepatitis, as these infections can have a devastating impact on people’s lives if they are not diagnosed quickly. Only through being well informed can you best care for your health, and Mike is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience to help you and all his readers lead a happier, healthier life.