'Sex health services overloaded' (From Haringey Independent)

'Sex health services overloaded'

5:21pm Thursday 23rd June 2005 in Health By Shyamtara Ni Fhoghlu

People needing vital treatment at sexual health clinics in Haringey are finding it virtually impossible to make appointments, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Ron Aitken, the Lib Dems health spokesperson, surveyed four clinics in north London over a two-week period and was unable to get through to any of them to make an appointment.

The sexual health clinic at Whittington Hospital, Archway, had a message stating all appointments were taken, as did the clinic in Clare Simpson House, Barnet Hospital.

Zone 15 at St Ann's Hospital, Tottenham, had a recorded message saying all operators were busy and callers to the Malborough Department at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, were encouraged to make an appointment in person.

A spokesman for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, which oversees the Clare Simpson House clinic, said it no longer has an answerphone service as people who used it were too explicit about their needs'.

Last year, the clinic treated 7,180 people but was forced to refer 915 elsewhere.

A phone queuing' system will soon be in place and the option of a nurse-led clinic is being investigated in order to cope with more patients.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Free admitted there was a major problem with people not being able to make appointments over the phone.

"The phone line is always very busy. It is unfortunate and we are looking at ways we can make it better," she said.

"We can only have the phone lines open if we have more staff."

She said if people came to the clinic with an urgent case staff could try to fit them in, alternatively they can be referred by a GP.

On average, an appointment is made for the next three to seven days and, every month, the Royal Free site sees 700 new cases and follows up about 430.

But Mr Aitken said with STD rates spiralling out of control this was unacceptable. "At the end of the day, if you are a young woman or young man and you're embarrassed, you're not going to keep ringing and ringing.

"You need an assurance that, if you have an STD, it will be dealt with."