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Sex information
on Merseyside - Part 2 of 3
IN last week's
issue we started to look at Sex
information on Merseyside. This week we look at the way testing
takes place. Our Editor has been discussing this subject with health
professionals for a few years now, including considering how to
motivate people to attend for testing and what might put them off.
He feels, as do many in the NHS and charities, that all ages and
backgrounds should have tests before entering any relationships that
could lead to sexual contact. But what does it involve and how does
it feel to get tested? He decided to take up the challenge and to
relay his experiences to our readers; the things that are done for
journalism! He headed to NHS drop-in centre for men and women, in
Liverpool City Centre (near Wetherspoons) called, Great Charlotte St
Sexual Health Service Centre, to find out more. The walk-in centre
is located upstairs and requires NO appointment. It offers a free,
confidential service for men and women of all ages. On offer are STI
testing for people who do not have symptoms, but want to get checked
out. It also offers Contraception (pills and Injections), free
condoms, Emergency Contraception (pills), pregnancy tests. Reporting
about his experience he told us that:- "As planned, I turned
up unannounced, so I could get a true experience of what was
happens. When I got to the centre I was a bit embarrassed. I have no
idea why, I knew I was going to be clean, yet I had an odd feeling.
It was like re-sitting my driving test all over again. I was
directed to a lift that took me to the correct floor, got off and
headed over to the desk. It was staffed by two receptionists. The
place was extremely busy, with all females of all ages, no males to
be seen, so I felt a bit out of place. The lady then told me that
they had a back log of people, could I pop back in an hour. I agreed
and headed out to roam the city centre for an hour. It was a strange
hour as I kept thinking about what was going to be asked when I got
back, as I had seen people with clip-boards, writing things down as
they waited. By now it was just about 4pm on a Thursday and the
place was again packed out, but I was 'in luck', a place had become
available. The lady behind the reception desk joked with me and
passed me a form. On it, it asked who my doctor was, date of birth
and a few other details, nothing all that shocking. But what did
stump me was who my doctor was. I am bad at names; I have had the
same doctor for years, but could I remember the name... Embarrassed,
I returned to the reception desk. The lady smiled and said I did not
need to worry as the Doctor would find it out for me. I returned. In
the room was one other male and the rest were all females, and a
baby. I found it was like being on an Underground Train in London,
we all kept our eyes down, well until the baby broke the ice, as
only babies can, with many funny noises emanating from the
pushchair. All in the waiting room eased up on holding their turn
tickets less tightly and what was an odd atmosphere lightened
slightly. Then in came a few teenage girls, who quietly filled in
the forms and chatted amongst themselves. It was strange to see
young teenagers in the centre, but at the same time good to see them
attending. I could not help but note how relaxed they were compared
to us. The older people waiting were also appearing far more
relaxed, so it seemed to be my age group, late 20's to mid 30's who
were the ones acting like Londoners on the Tube. As the numbers
being called came closer and closer to my number, my mind wandered
again to what it would be like. I had strange visions of big needles
and syringes being used on me and loads of awkward questions. Then
my number was up. I was taken in to a room by a female doctor and
she told me what the tests would involve, how long it would take for
the results and gave me two main options to get the results back.
She also filled in the missing information about my doctor, much to
my relief. Then she asked me some questions about my sexual habits
and how many partners I had. Oddly, I was a bit put off answering. I
felt like a teenager again. When I got through my past, she then
gave me a choice of methods to do the first test. I picked to use
the toilet option, pissing in to a pot. Sorry, but that is what it
was. I headed over to the single multi sex toilet and waited
outside. It was a very odd feeling, pot in hand and waiting for
someone to finish. I thought to myself, what do I do or say if I
can't go? I hoped the extra two teas I just had would help! Out came
a young lady, which was again kind of strange, but I then headed in
to the small toilet room and closed the door. I proceeded to fill
the pot, then cleaned up and headed back, finding myself holding it
like some kind of... well put it this way, I kept it at arm's
length. Feeling more confident again, I got into the room where the
doctor took it off me." She said:- "I hope you are OK
with needles. This is the bit I think most of your readers would be
afraid of." "Oddly being in St John Ambulance and also
giving blood in the past, not forgetting having, like many people
injections for immunisations, I do not think of needles and syringes
are all that shocking, yet her statement made me a bit nervous all
of a sudden. But she produces two small syringes that had a white
compound in them. She then stuck the first of the two syringes' into
my arm. It was odd as I was expecting to feel a prick, but I did not
feel it. Then the second, was used. If you had blinked you would not
have noticed. The doctor then said I would get the results in two
parts and that was it. I left the centre and felt kind of odd. If I
had to sum it up, it was kind of like finishing your GCSE exams, you
feel relieved, yet you know that you shall have to wait for the
results. The next day my arm had a slight bit of bruising to it, but
I was a bit put off telling people I had been for a blood test. A
few weeks later I had all my results on tests, in total two. All I
can thankfully say proved Negative! If I am to go back now, I think
it would be far easier for me, but I can see why people are put off
going. My personal advice now is still the same; although initially
daunting, it was not so traumatic after all, so go, and if you do
not like needles, well do not worry as they have ways to get around
that. I feel you have to think about the one you love, even if you
know you are STI free, it shows you care. How would you feel if you
or your partner got a STI due to one of you not getting checked?"
To follow is part 3 of this
report. Please note we might not be running it in next week's issue.
If we do not include it in that issue, it will be in a subsequent
issue in the near future. If you have any views or comments on this
topic, please do email us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com. Please note that we only
want your views on this topic. Like for example, what you think
about STI testing in the UK etc. We cannot give any advice, but we
will try and point you to a location that might help you find out,
if you do email any other question.
For more information about Sexual Health visit these
3 websites:-
The is Sefton's sexual health
website is one-stop shop
service and very helpful.
The Liverpool Centre for Sexual Health (formerly known as the
Department of Genitourinary Medicine and Sexual Health)
website.
The new Sexual Health Liverpool Website we have been told will be live
very soon! But as this
website s being re-built, it
still shows some information very useful information on it's hold
page. The page has information about local sexual health and
contraception services in Liverpool. All services listed on it are
free and confidential.
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Forum of Private
Business response to the 2012 Budget
THE Forum of Private
Business is responding to the Budget statement by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, George Osborne, by has welcomed several measures on
taxation as steps towards creating a tax system conducive to small
business success, rather than a barrier to it.
The Forum's Chief Executive, Phil Orford, said:- "The overall
verdict is that there have been some tentative steps in the right
direction, and perhaps the beginnings of a road map for the future;
but for the next year or two, when many of these policies kick in;
what small businesses and the economy need are confident strides
forward now. Largely, that has not happened in this Budget.
We saw nothing on reducing the mounting burden of business rates or
fuel duty via cuts and a real stabiliser to regulate prices at the
pump. These were omissions; and while the Government is working to
improve access to funding and bring down banks lending costs by
implementing 'credit easing' the National Loan Guarantee Scheme,
there are concerns that the smallest firms in most need of
affordable finance will miss out.
Further, we called for tax incentives to pave the way for
alternative lenders to compete more effectively in finance markets
dominated by the big banks, but there was nothing on this in the
Budget.
Reducing the top income tax rate to stimulate entrepreneurship and
continuing to cut corporation tax are much-needed measures and we
also welcome the concept of merging income tax and National
Insurance as a first step in what looks to be long overdue reforms
to the tax system for small firms, but the Chancellor could have
gone further to give businesses and the economy a bigger boost."
The forum also said that:- "Notable tax announcements include
continuing to clamp down on tax avoidance, cutting the main
corporation tax rate to 22% by 2014 and the Government's commitment
to reforming the tax system to make it simpler for small firms –
including exploring merging income tax and National Insurance (NI)
and changing tax rules to calculate tax for firms with a turnover of
£77,000 on a cash basis. The Forum also welcomes the Chancellor's
headline decision to cut the 50p top rate of income tax to 45p by
April 2012, following figures from HMRC showing that the tax has
raised just £1 billion of the £3 billion it was expected to raise.
Balanced by raising the minimum earnings threshold for paying income
tax to £9,205, the Forum believes the move will stimulate inward
investment, boost entrepreneurship and encourage job creation."
On finance, the Forum says that it is:- "in principle
welcoming the Government's National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), a
£20 billion 'credit easing' initiative to reduce bank lending costs,
but we are warning that the smallest firms that are in most need of
affordable funding must benefit from the scheme, amid concerns it is
more relevant to large companies and medium-sized businesses - a
similar criticism levelled at the £1 billion Business Finance
Partnership scheme for mid-cap firms. Making tax simple and
proportionate is one of the main pillars of the Forum's Get Britain
Trading campaign and a key element of the not-for-profit small
business organisation's 2012 Budget submission. The other areas are
improving cash flow, creating employment and improving skills,
reducing business costs and creating opportunities for growth."
The Forum's Get Britain Trading campaign and Budget submission have
been supported by research to reveal the fears, hopes and desires of
small businesses across the UK, with taxation and the tax system
featuring prominently.
"A total of 44% of business owners on the Forum's tax and budget
member panel called for wholesale changes to the structure of the
tax system, 24% expressed a preference for the removal of certain
tax breaks to simplify the system and 13% wanted a moratorium on tax
changes. The organisation's Get Britain Trading campaign supporters
were asked how the business environment could be improved. The top
two requests were making the tax system fairer to allow firms to
compete on a level playing field (69%) and simplifying the tax
system to make it more easily understandable (64%). HMRC was also
seen as needing to improve its targeting of tax avoidance schemes,
its tone of communication with business owners and general support
for businesses. In all, 32% of panel members felt that HMRC could
improve the service offered to small and micro businesses by
embracing more easily understandable communication methods. Better
support at key steps in the business lifecycle would help, according
to 29%, and 23% wanted to receive reminders about imminent payment
deadlines. In its Budget submission, in addition to the continuing
reduction of the main corporation tax rate, the Forum has called on
the Government to cut the small firms' rate at a similar level in
order to reward successful businesses. Fuel duty, business rates and
National Insurance are aspects of the tax system considered too high
by small businesses, who also called for targeted cuts in VAT to
help labour-intensive industries, and for the Government to reduce
the cost of compliance with tax bureaucracy."
The Forum called for greater incentives for family-run businesses
and measures which incentivise investment in UK firms, including
reducing the tax on interest received during the lifetime of a loan
to 0% instead of the 50% top tax rate, additional tax relief if a
business fails before the loan is repaid and a short term cut in VAT
in the housing sector in order to stimulate the construction
industry.
"In order for small firms to compete on a level playing field, the
Forum is calling for a 2% cap on business rates starting in April
2012 for the duration of this Parliament and backing a review of the
unpopular Business Records Checks regime. The organisation has
welcomed the Chancellor's intention to defer 60% of the rates for 2
years, announced in the Autumn Statement, but believes this further
step is still necessary."
The Forum wants tax incentives to reduce the cost of employment,
namely that the existing scheme of offering a £5,000 NI holiday for
the first 10 employees of a new business should be changed. Instead,
the Government should offer a £5,000 holiday for the first 2 extra
employees taken on by all businesses. Widening the accessibility of
the scheme whilst reducing the extent an individual business could
benefit will encourage much greater take up.
"In parallel to the Chancellor's Budget statement the Government has
published a report entitled 'Making tax easier, quicker and simpler
for small businesses', which contains a series of pledges it hopes
will create the most competitive tax system in the G20 and make the
UK the best place in Europe to start and grow a business. The report
is a response to a review of small business tax carried out by the
Office of Tax Simplification, which published its final
recommendations in February, and is part of the Government's Plan
for Growth. The main points include changes in the tax rules to
allow new cash basis for calculating tax for up to 3 million small
unincorporated businesses, rolling out RTI, following a pilot
scheme, with full implementation by October 2013, an April, 2012
launch of HMRC's Business Tax Dashboard to allow businesses to
quickly and easily see their tax payments and what they owe,
consultations on integrating NI and income tax, and simplifying NI
for self employed, and improving HMRC's services – such as online
support, call handling and postal responses as well as making it
easier to register and pay."
Do you agree with the Forum? Let us know by emailing us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com. |
