A Bracknell man has told how he has 'watched his friend go through misery' after being let down by the town's sexual health services.

In recent weeks a growing number of people have spoken out about their difficulties in getting appointments or treatement from the Garden Clinic, on Skimped Hill Health in the town centre.

A friend of the affected man told The News he has seen his friend suffer 'in agony' after being left for months without treatment after contracting an STI. 

He said: “It’s ridiculous. We have tried going to the clinic in person and because the opening hours are so limited, they never have an appointment. From our experience, no one answers the phones at the clinic. We have no idea how is it possible to book an appointment?

“We have been told that everyone is free to attend a sexual health clinic outside the area, however when you don’t have transportation or money to get anywhere, this isn’t possible.

“My friend has literally been going through hell and it’s so awful to watch.”

Figures from the Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust who to deliver specialist sexual health services have outlined that that 98 per cent of service users calling the service for an appointment during reception’s opening times are triaged within 30 minutes, with 97 per cent of service users seen within two days.

But anecdotally, people in Bracknell are disputing the figures while others say they don't want to go to their usual doctors surgery because of a lack of anonymity. 

He said: “The most important thing about a sexual health clinic is that they have everything that you need on-site including medication and test equipment which is not the case in other medical surgeries.

“There is a pandemic of sexually transmitted diseases in Bracknell in my opinion because people aren’t able to get access to services, including free protection and family planning services.”

Tessa Lindfield, Director of Public Health for Berkshire East, said: “We want to make sure that our residents understand that help is available if they need it, and no one should delay seeking care.  If they reach out to our services, they can expect a timely response.  We remain committed to improving sexual and reproductive health and continue to work with our service providers to shape the services around the needs of our population.

“Improving the equity of access to sexual health services, including in person appointments, is something we will be addressing as part of our sexual health service commissioning, which we shall soon be undertaking.

“Improving digital access to sexual and reproductive health services is a priority locally and we have been working with experts in good digital design to understand how we can do this well.

"It is important so that people access both the testing they may require alongside good quality triage and advice.  But, if someone is experiencing symptoms they should not wait for a test, but should get to a clinic as soon as possible, to receive the treatment that is required.”  

The Garden Clinic, located at the Skimped Hill Health Centre, is open on Monday from 11am - 6pm and Thursday between 10:30am - 1pm and 3:30pm and 5:30pm.