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ByGreat Britain: National Audit Office

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Synopsis

The delivery of the Government's programme to control chlamydia infection in young people to date has not demonstrated value for money, a report by the National Audit Office found today. In 2007-08, five years after the Programme's launch, 4.9 per cent of under-25s were being tested under the Programme, against a target of 15 per cent. In 2007, the Department made the Programme a priority for PCTs and average testing levels rose to 15.9 per cent by the end of 2008-09, against a target of 17 per cent. When this is combined with testing in other settings such as genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, overall testing rates in around half of PCTs have reached 26 per cent or more, the point at which testing is expected to begin significantly to reduce chlamydia prevalence. The NAO estimates that around £100 million has been spent to date. PCTs have had little guidance on costs to help them deliver the Programme efficiently and spending has varied from place to place. Savings of £17 million could have been made in 2008-09, the NAO estimates, if all PCTs had delivered tests for £33 (the Agency's calculation of an achievable cost per test in established local programmes), rather than the average of £56 per test, in that year. The NAO also revealed that not all those who test positive for chlamydia are being treated. An estimated 6,480 people (12 per cent of those who tested positive) were not recorded as having received treatment in 2008-09. Without treatment, testing is wasted for the individuals concerned, since people remain infected and may go on to infect others. Most PCTs are not reaching the Programme's standards for tracing and treating the sexual partners of people who test positive.