PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(10 February 2025)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to expand sexual reproductive health services for men who have sex with men beyond (a) STI and (b) HIV (i) prevention and (ii) treatment services.

Asked by:
Shaun Davies (Labour)

The Government remains committed to providing good sexual and reproductive health services in England for everyone, including for men who have sex with men, both including and beyond sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV prevention and treatment services.

We are committed to ensuring the National Health Service is there for everyone when they need it. As such, we will work closely with NHS England and the National Advisor on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and others (LGBT+) Health, Dr Michael Brady, and cross-Government, to identify how we can make the most difference in access to healthcare, patient experience, reducing inequalities, and improving health outcomes for LGBT+ people. This will underpin the work we take forward on LGBT+ health, including sexual and reproductive health services for men who have sex with men, both including and beyond STI and HIV prevention and treatment services.

In terms of STI and HIV prevention and treatment services, local authorities are responsible for commissioning comprehensive, open access sexual and reproductive health services through the Public Health Grant (PHG). Individual local authorities decide on spending priorities based on an assessment of local need and commission the blend of services that best suit their population. In 2025/26, we are increasing funding through the ringfenced PHG to £3.858 billion. This represents a turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after almost a decade of reduced spending between 2016 and 2024. From April 2025, HIV care will be commissioned by NHS integrated care boards.

Answered by:
()