New Cornwall sexual health service 'unsafe' say doctors

The sexual health services had been run by the Royal Cornwall Hospital Hospital's Trust but have been awarded to national charity Brook

Senior doctors are refusing to work for a charity that has been awarded the sexual health contract in Cornwall.

Five doctors have jointly written a letter to Cornwall Council who gave the contract to charity Brook in August.

In the letter they say "none of us feel able to work in a service which we fear will be unsafe for patients and financially unsustainable".

Brook said patients would be able to access "the same full range of sexual health and contraception services".

The council said "Brook is well placed to meet the needs of Cornwall's residents".

Brook is due to take over running the service in December after winning a competitive tender process.

It was previously operated by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust based at a specialist facility in Truro called The Hub.

However, the trust did not bid for the new contract due to concerns over operating the service on a reduced budget.

The letter has been written by all four consultants who head up the existing service and an associate specialist doctor

The doctors claim they saw an average of 375 patients per week in Truro, but the new service has an estimated capacity to see 104.

They have written a list of questions for Cornwall Council, with specific concerns over where the new service will be based and how safe it will be.

Dr Frances Keane has worked in sexual health services in Cornwall for 23 years

They say that Brook has "no prior experience of running a large-scale specialist service".

Dr Frances Keane said: "We are absolutely heartbroken. We are all extremely worried about the effects of the sexual health of the population of Cornwall."

She said the new provider does not plan to have drop-in clinics during December, saying "If you cant provide that rapid access for people you risk untreated STI's and the spread of further STIs, and also the risk of unplanned pregnancies".

In a statement Brook said it had 55 years of experience nationally, and that patients "will be able to access the same full range of sexual health and contraception services".

It added: "We will be improving access to services by offering more clinics across the county with longer opening hours, including Saturday".