Sexual health funding in Lancashire last year was the third highest in England

New research has revealed that Lancashire has spent £11,322,000 on sexual health services since 2021, which is the third highest in England.

Using current UK government data the men’s healthcare experts ‘FROM MARS’ researched which local authorities have spent the most and least on sexual health services since 2021, albeit not per capita, looking at factors such as STI testing and treatment, contraception, and promotion, prevention and advice.

Lancashire’s expenditure between 2021-2022 was the third highest, with the top place going to Birmingham on £16,462,000, followed by Kent on £12,825,000.

The research also revealed how sexual health expenditure in Lancashire since 2021 was divided, with £5,354,000 being spent on STI testing and treatment, £5,502,000 on contraception, and £466,000 on promotion, prevention and advice.

Behind Lancashire, the rest of the top ten was made up of Hertfordshire (£10,588,000), Hampshire (£9,417,000), Southwark (£9,405,000), Lambeth (£9,390,000), Essex (£8,873,000), Hackney (£8,636,000) and Surrey (£8,155,000).

On the opposite end of the scale, Rutland spent the least with only £268,000, although this is the smallest county in England by both population and area, followed by Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor & Maidenhead, Darlington, West Berkshire, North East Lincolnshire, Blackburn with Darwen, Redcar & Cleveland and Slough.

FROM MARS also compared their 2021-2022 findings to historic data to find out which locations are benefiting from increased investment and which are being cut back, and Lancashire saw the ninth biggest increase in expenditure between 2017-2021, with a 6.76% average annual change.

The research also listed the top 10 areas for most teenage births, chlamydia diagnoses, and abortion rates per 1000 people, however Lancashire did not feature in either list.

Commenting on their research, FROM MARS said: “Providing the appropriate funding for sexual health services is key in maintaining both public and individual health through the promotion of sexual health. This results in a lower rate of unintended pregnancies and STIs through three key areas, STI testing and treatment, contraception and promotion and prevention.”

To calculate their expenditure findings, FROM MARS gathered local authority data from the 2017 to 2021 financial years, taking a combined total for each year from the sexual health services categories, and using this data to calculate and compare trends in local authority spending.

Data on chlamydia diagnoses, abortions and birth rates were then taken from The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

The research at FROM MARS was medically reviewed by Navin Khosla, a Superintendent Pharmacist & CQC Care Manager.

You can view the full research here.