Chlamydia is an infection that affects one in ten sexually active women. It often has no symptoms but if untreated can lead to infertility. The screening programme that was started in 2003 now covers 25% of  Primary Care Trusts in England and encourages sexually active men and women under 25 to come forward and be tested. On 9 November the Department of Health announced that provision of chlamydia screening was to become a responsibility of all Primary Care Trusts in England, with the aim of achieving full coverage of the country by 2007.

Screening takes place in a wide variety of locations: half in contraceptive clinics, a fifth in young people’s clinics and the rest in General Practices, colleges, prisons and at health promotion events. Testing of collected specimens is usually undertaken by NHS laboratories. A pilot scheme in Telford showed that men in particular prefer the community pharmacy for diagnosis and treatment of chlamydia over more traditional venues. From Monday 14 November, Boots the Chemists will provide a free and confidential screening service in all its London pharmacies, as part of a two year Department of Health funded pilot initiative to make it easier for 16-24 year old men and women to be screened and tested for chlamydia. Boots expect to provide approximately 50,000 screens a year, with test kits available over the counter, testing and analysis carried out by Quest Diagnostics and treatment consultations taking place in private areas.