Residents could be forced to travel several miles to access services as Enfield Council cuts funding, reports James Cracknell

The Town Clinic run by Echo in Burleigh Way, Enfield Town

The borough’s only dedicated sexual health clinic is set to be shut down after Enfield Council pulled its funding for the service.

The Town Clinic run by Enfield Clinics Health Organisation (Echo) offers free testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV as well as treatment and emergency contraception but relies on council support.

Staff at the clinic were recently told that the funding was being withdrawn as the council was looking to make savings on sexual health spending and recommission its services to “provide value for money”.

Alice Deering, a senior staff nurse with Echo, expressed her shock at the move and told the Dispatch that residents would instead be forced to travel to places as far away as Islington to get the same free services provided at the clinic. She fears the closure will lead to a rise in STIs and unwanted pregnancies in the borough.

The Town Clinic now looks set to shut its doors in February. Alice said: “We were only told one week ago that they [the council] would be pulling out. The impact is going to be humongous.

“The next closest clinic is in Archway, a lot of patients will just not bother seeking the help that they need. There will be more teen pregnancies and a greater rate of STIs. The people that we pick up are domestic violence victims and vulnerable children – they will potentially get missed because people have to go outside the borough to get help.

“It is a huge ask of any other borough to pick up our patients – they will be swamped.”

The Town Clinic opened in Burleigh Way nearly ten years ago. Echo also previously ran a clinic in Fore Street, Angel Edmonton, but recently relocated the service to White Lodge Medical Practice, also in Enfield Town. Both facilities run by Echo will close when the funding is axed, with 35 staff members affected.

The council is still required to fund sexual health services but is understood to be ending its current contract with North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, which includes the funding for Echo.

A petition calling on the council to reverse the decision has been signed by more than 800 people.

Council leader Ergin Erbil said: “Enfield Council remains steadfast in its commitment to improving the sexual health of our residents and communities. The quality and effectiveness of the services provided are the primary criteria we use when commissioning sexual health services for our borough.

“However, we must provide value for money to meet our duty as a publicly funded organisation and to continue to provide access to the range of services our residents need. We must also make changes considering the financial pressures seen across the local government sector that have been exacerbated by the previous government.

“We have engaged in extensive negotiations on our current service offer and in line with other London boroughs, we will continue to fulfil our statutory duty by providing open access to clinics nationwide.

“We will always ensure there are pathways in place and plenty of information for residents about how they can access these services, as well as those within local pharmacies and GPs. In addition, the council will continue to commission the well-used online e-service which has proved to be a popular and discreet application for many residents.”

Alice says these alternatives are insufficient, however, and nothing can replace the expertise and in-person testing currently provided at The Town Clinic.

She added: “Sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy rates will increase due to lack of local provision, deterioration of referral pathways on access to and the provision of treatment, disengagement of patients [and] increasing out-of-borough cost.”

Sign the petition to save Echo and the borough’s sexual health services:
Visit change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-the-enfield-sexual-health-contraceptive-service

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