Changes to the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP)
The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) is changing to focus on reducing reproductive harm of untreated infection in young women.
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The aim of the NCSP is changing to focus on reducing the harms from untreated chlamydia infection. The harmful effects of chlamydia occur predominantly in women so the opportunistic screening (that is the proactive offer of a chlamydia test to young people without symptoms) should focus on women*, combined with:
- reducing time to test results and treatment
- strengthening partner notification
- re-testing after treatment
In practice this means that chlamydia screening in community settings, such as GPs and pharmacies, will only be proactively offered to young women. Services provided by sexual health services remain unchanged.
Everyone can still get tested if they need, but men will not be proactively offered a test unless an indication has been identified, such as being a partner of someone with chlamydia or having symptoms.
See the NCSP consultation and NCSP programme overview for more information.
*References to women includes cisgender women, transgender men and non-binary (assigned female at birth) people who have not had hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy.