C+D Award winning contractor Jignesh Patel has called for national funding to tackle a five per cent year-on-year rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The number of STI diagnoses rose to more than 448,000 in 2012, with under-25s most at risk, according to data published by Public Health England (PHE) on Wednesday (June 5).

"We need to have certain services nationalised [and] look at a new contract where key problems around the whole country are funded nationally" Jignesh Patel Rohpharm Pharmacy

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Chlamydia remained the most commonly diagnosed infection, making up 46 per cent of all reported cases. Genital warts accounted for 16 per cent and genital herpes made up 7 per cent of cases. Mr Patel, owner of Rohpharm Pharmacy in Plaistow, said pharmacists were having trouble securing funding for chlamydia treatment from local authorities because they had to bid against other healthcare providers to deliver the service.

Mr Patel, who won a C+D award in 2011 for his HIV-testing pilot scheme, provides a chlamydia screening service and said he had undergone training to provide chlamydia treatment, which includes supplying patients with antibiotics and advice on preventative measures. However, he has not secured funding from the local authority to deliver the treatment service in his pharmacy.

"That was a big disappointment. Although it's a big problem, there's no money to tackle that problem," he said.

Mr Patel said he struggled to persuade young adults that they needed to be screened because they had often already been tested by school outreach programmes or their GP. He called for chlamydia treatment in pharmacies to receive funding at a national level, in a similar way to MURs.

"All this duplication of work tends to cause problems. We need to have certain services nationalised [and] look at a new contract where key problems around the whole country are funded nationally," he told C+D.

Earlier in the year, PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe told C+D that its contract negotiations with NHS England would be underpinned by its vision for community pharmacy, which included developing the profession's role across public health.

PHE head of STI surveillance Gwenda Hughes said ongoing investment was needed to increase sexual health awareness, condom use and testing, particularly for at-risk groups.

"Local authorities should continue to integrate chlamydia screening into broader health services for young adults. This will help this age group develop positive relationships with services, enabling them to develop and maintain good sexual health throughout their lives," she said.

In February, two sexual health charities warned that the UK was heading towards a funding crisis because of a lack of investment in contraception and sexual health services.

Have you had trouble getting funding for an STI service in your pharmacy? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook