A sexual health clinic serving parts of east and central London is to close in the autumn, despite the catchment area including hotspots for sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).
Homerton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust announced it would close 80 Leadenhall Street in the City of London, as the cost of the lease was rising and patient numbers had not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
It comes after North East London NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) reported a growing number of under-24s in Hackney and the City of London were seeking support around STIs.
Homerton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust thanked its staff for providing “fast, discreet, and high-quality care” at the Leadenhall Street site.
Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England, recorded fewer diagnoses of STIs in London.
However NHS North East London found young people in the City and Hackney had sought more “interventions” for sexual health – mostly around STIs – than in the neighbouring boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest.
According to UKHSA, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark had the highest rate of STIs in the capital, with each reporting at least 2,500 cases per 100,000 residents.
The City of London followed behind, with 2,422 cases per 100,000.
In the City and Hackney, face-to-face consultations had not returned to pre-pandemic levels “at least in part” because more people were using online services.
This opposes the nationwide trend, where despite a fall in all kinds of sexual health consultations, clinic visits had seen a slight increase, according to the UKHSA.
In response to the UKHSA’s figures, the Local Government Association warned that sexual health services in England were grappling with “unprecedented pressure” and urged the government to carve out a 10-year strategy and invest more to deliver “expert, timely care”.
Homerton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the “professionalism, warmth and responsiveness” of staff at 80 Leadenhall would leave a “lasting impact”.
It said patients would still have access to treatment at other Homerton centres, including The Ivy at St Leonards Hospital, Clifden Centre and John Scott Health Centre.
