The waiting time for appointments at some sexual health clinics, and the waiting time in the clinics, is deterring some people from getting tested.” Figures released last September showed that London boroughs dominate all 16 of the top spots in the league table for highest new STI cases, at 3,915 per 100,000 people, with nearly half being chlamydia infections. "In-person tests enable medical staff to provide advice about safer sex and to offer prompt provision of PEP and PrEP to prevent HIV. Some gay men are using condoms less after the NHS adopted the transformational HIV-preventing drug PrEP, MyLondon hears (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire) This is potentially undermining the fight against sexually-transmitted infections and risks an explosion in HIV and other sexual diseases. A recent BMJ report warned that very few home testing kits meet national standards, with eight offering no advice on accessing preventative treatment after exposure to HIV, as is officially recommended. The concerns were echoed by renowned LGBT+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who told MyLondon: "The shift to home testing is a short-sighted policy, driven by cost-cutting imperatives rather than the well-being of patients. It’s a disaster in the making.” Nick has been out since the early 1990s - when in-person clinics in areas like Soho had become vital community hubs following the AIDS epidemic. Meanwhile, STIs are going undetected, leading to worse infections, spreading further.
Nick fears that it could damage efforts to end HIV transmission in the next 10 years: “It’s never, in my adult life, been harder to get an in-person HIV test. So we’ve got partial privatisation, leading to a worse health service, while investors are making money.” He added that the shift “isn’t the fault of the clinics” and said: “They are being defunded while London’s local authorities are handing over tens of millions to a private company to organise the at-home tests. They were hard fought for, they’re an exceptional example of excellent NHS preventative healthcare, and Covid is being used as an excuse to take them from us.” He lamented the collapse in in-person clinic appointments, adding: “These clinics have been so important, especially for LGBT people who don’t always get their health needs taken seriously elsewhere, as a place where they can talk about their experiences and their mental health, as well as getting a test which stops diseases like HIV spreading. These tests are not at all easy to do - many people like me can’t do them – and they also individualise the whole process.” Nick told MyLondon: “I’ve found it nearly impossible to get an in-person appointment this year – with almost all clinics saying you can’t get tested without symptoms anymore, and you have to do an at home test. In-person appointments for STI appointments are hard to come by after a pandemic-led shift to at-home testing (Image: Getty) READ MORE: City Hall flies lesbian pride flag as Sadiq Khan gives tips for being a 'lesbian ally'
Many gay men are now encouraged to take PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medicine which reduces the risk of contracting HIV but may make unprotected sex more common. Nick Dearden, a campaigner who is gay, is particularly concerned that the new home testing regime will lead to LGBTQ+ people testing less. At-home tests are now pushed extensively for Londoners who have mild or no symptoms, and slots for in-person clinic appointments are hard to come by. During the pandemic, Yorkshire firm Preventx was awarded a major contract to provide at-home testing kits for 31 London boroughs until at least 2023, as part of a massive shift away from in-person testing.īut MyLondon has been told that many Londoners find the tests - some of which involve filling up a vial of your own blood - difficult to do at home. Londoners are struggling to get in-person appointments for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) - sparking fears of a surge in case rates.