The Department of Health proposed today that HIV testing

The Department of Health proposed today that HIV testing, treatment and care services should be funded and co-ordinated on a national level, by the future NHS Commissioning Board. At the same time, a wide range of sexual health services - including clinical services - will become the responsibility of local authorities, as part of their new public health role.

Their proposals are open for consultation until 31 March 2011.

The Conservative / Liberal Democrat government announced radical reforms for the English National Health Service (NHS) soon after taking office in May. A central plank of their proposals is the abolition of NHS organisations known as primary care trusts (PCTs). Most of their responsibilities for co-ordinating and funding services (“commissioning”) are to be handed over to local consortia of general practitioners. On the other hand, public health services that PCTs have commissioned will become the responsibility of local authorities.

Many health professionals have expressed reservations about the proposals. And especially in parts of the country where there are relatively few HIV-positive people, there has been some concern that the new GP consortia may lack the skills, experience or interest to commission high-quality HIV services.

However, the government released further details of their commissioning plans today. They stated that HIV testing, treatment and care will, in fact, be commissioned nationally by the NHS Commissioning Board.

The government document states that these arrangements will allow efficiencies to be made in the procurement of drugs and services.

“We’re pleased that HIV treatment is not going directly to inexperienced GP consortia,” commented Lisa Power, head of policy and public affairs at the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Another key part of the government’s reforms is that responsibility for public health programmes will shift from NHS primary care trusts to local authorities. They will be allocated a ring-fenced budget that must be spent on public health activities.

Notably, this will affect local HIV prevention and health promotion projects.

However the government also revealed today that a very wide range of open-access sexual health services which contribute to public health will be commissioned by local authorities.