Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
Paragraph: 56
Improve sex education teaching and materials, including condom use, to address rising STIs.
Recommendation
The Government should work with the NHS and Oak National Academy to improve the teaching of sex education, and the materials available to support it, to ensure it provides an effective response to the troubling increases in the prevalence of STIs among young people. The benefits of condom use should be a key part of the curriculum. As we have previously recommended, RSE should be taught up to the age of 18.
Government Response Summary
Despite accepting the recommendation, the government's response focuses entirely on the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), its policy changes, and monitoring its effectiveness, rather than addressing improvements to RSE teaching, curriculum content, or extending RSE provision.
Paragraph Reference:
56
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
Accept The Government accepts this recommendation. UKHSA is monitoring the reproductive harms of untreated chlamydia in order to assess the effectiveness of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). However, at the time of writing this response, insufficient time has elapsed since the change in policy to evaluate any impact of this change on the effectiveness of the NCSP. The change to the NCSP was the result of an external expert review of the evidence for chlamydia control, that commenced in 2017. Reviewing the evidence informing public health programmes is good practice and this change will mean the programme is better able to maximise health benefits. As a result, the aim of the programme changed to focus on reducing the harms from untreated chlamydia in 2021. The harmful effects of chlamydia occur predominantly in women so the offer of opportunistic screening for asymptomatic chlamydia is only for young women under the revised programme policy; combined with improved time to treatment, partner notification and retesting of those who test positive. The change to the screening programme did not change the offer of STI testing from SHSs. All young people, irrespective of gender, are still able to access chlamydia tests at SHSs. The change in programme policy underwent a detailed Public Sector Equality Duty Assessment. The recent increases in chlamydia diagnoses following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, are likely unrelated to the policy change regarding opportunistic asymptomatic screening; other STIs have also increased in young people. UKHSA is monitoring the reproductive harms of chlamydia in order to assess the effectiveness of the NCSP. 20