Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The Guardian (London) (11.12.09) - Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Denis Campbell
"To have a significant impact on chlamydia requires overall testing levels of 26 percent or above," said Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office (NAO), which released the report on Thursday. "Only half of primary care trusts reached this level in 2008-09."
Problems in program implementation through the trusts resulted in duplication and inefficiency, NAO found. For instance, individual PCTs rolled out at least 45 different marketing and advertising brands for the program.
By 2007-09, or five years after the launch, just 4.9 percent of people under age 25 had been screened, compared with the target of 15 percent. In 2007, the Department of Health made screening a priority for PCTs, and average testing rose to 15.9 percent by the end of 2008-09. Combined with screening in other sites such as genito-urinary medicine clinics, about half of PCT regions have reached 26 percent or more, NAO said.
An estimated 6,480 infected people, or 12 percent of those testing positive, were shown as not having received treatment in 2008-09. Further, almost three-quarters of PCTs failed to contact and treat enough of index patients' partners. And while the average cost per screening should have been 33 euros (US $56), the program's cost per test was 56 euros (US $94) on average, noted the report.
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