RISKY BUSINESS? TOO RIGHT!
In September 1998 North Staffs Health Authority announced its decision to end its young persons’ sexual health programme in February 1999. In my response to Richard Priestley’s letter containing the terms of my redundancy I stated the following:

“My sadness at the termination of the young people’s sexual health project is threefold:

1. There is no cure or vaccine for HIV infection; prevention through education is the only way forward,

2. The young people of North Staffordshire are left without services as are their supporting professionals,

3. Unless the experiences, both positive and negative of all those involved within this field, over the years, are considered when new services are implemented in the future, I fear that both time and public money will be wasted.”

An article in the March edition of Young People Now entitled Risky Business confirmed my worst fears. Based on research undertaken by Exeter University involving 500 young men and women in Somerset, the article cites the following:

“45% of men and 36% of women used a condom in 1996 compared with 64% and 50% respectively five years earlier. One 19 year old young man is quoted as saying:
‘When I was 16 I always used to carry a condom with me because of the fear of HIV & AIDS. Now I don’t bother because I’m sure the way medicine is going they’ll have a cure for the disease soon.’”

A survey by the Health Education Authority shows that 12% (more than 1 in 10) of young people under the age of 24 wrongly believe that there is already a cure for AIDS. My own experience of delivering a drug prevention programme within a local high school has indicated that many young people within the school are not aware of HIV when sharing drug paraphernalia. This concerns me greatly. As a youth worker I have already identified what I can do in response. What will be the Health Authority’s response?

Sue Lander

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the letter Risky Business? Too Right! Firstly, may I say that I have known Sue Lander for several years and have in that time developed a great deal of respect for Sue and her valuable work with young people in the HIV field.

However, I do feel that a misunderstanding of the overall position in relation to the young person’s sexual health programme has arisen. In brief, due to changes in the National HIV prevention funding & priorities, it was not possible to sustain the Young Person’s Sexual Health programme from the ringfenced HIV allocation — this situation resulted in the loss of 2 whole time equivalent young person’s workers.

Since then a lot of effort has been applied to maintain the Young Person’s Sexual Health Programme from alternative (and some would say more appropriate) sources of funding. These efforts have resulted in the securing of monies for 3 whole time equivalent posts, an expansion of the young person’s clinics and £150,000 Health Promotion School Scheme monies (a proportion of which will be focussed on sexual health) i.e. a net gain for the Young Person’s Sexual Health Programme in North Staffordshire. I do hope the above clarifies the position and clears up any misunderstanding.

Regards to all your readers,

Sue Scott
Senior Programme Co-ordinator
North Staffordshire Health Authority