Chlamydia screening data from genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics are part of a clinic aggregate return (KC60) and is not currently available by primary care trust (PCT) of the patients or age of patient.
The Department and the Health Protection Agency are implementing a new sexually transmitted infection data set for GUM, which will replace the KC60. This will provide data on numbers tested for chlamydia (under 25) in GUM services by PCT of residence. We expect full national roll-out later this year.
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme was set up to target asymptomatic individuals under the age of 25, who were not usually presenting for chlamydia testing. Information on the number of people screened is collected by PCT of residence and data are assigned to each individual PCT.
For the first year of the vital signs indicator (2007-08), relating to chlamydia, the emphasis was on counting and increasing all community testing. Once testing is sufficiently embedded within the community, we will then use all community data along with GUM tests to monitor progress towards reducing chlamydia prevalence in each PCT.