Photo: Public protest about privatisation of Sexual Health Services, Newcastle Civic Centre, September 2023
The Sexual Health service in Newcastle was privatised two years ago and we are aware that members of the public have been appalled by the steady erosion of provision since that time. It’s been devastating to a service that was once a flagship for the North East: fully integrated and co-located with Cervical Screening, Community Gynaecology, Specialist HIV Treatment and Care, and Psychosexual Therapy. In addition to this loss, the service has been shifted from  temporary premises to temporary premises. 

…..and fastforward 2 years: Summer 2025

Cloaked in Secrecy

Members of KONPNE remain extremely concerned about the recent comment from a Council official about the need for improvements to Sexual Health services in the city.

CLICK HERE

to read about this in the Chronicle article  (11th July 2025)
Sadly, we are not surprised. 
This service is currently provided by a private business – two years ago,  Newcastle City Council made the appalling decision to privatise the service  after 70 years of it being run by the NHS.
We have been in touch with Newcastle City Council to find out more about their concerns but, surprisingly, they seem reluctant to share details. We have requested information – but limited information forthcoming. We have then asked for an internal review of their decision to provide limited information only and NOTHING about the actual concerns – but nil information forthcoming. All cloaked in secrecy.
We have, subsequently, discussed this situation with Chi Onwurah MP (Newcastle North and West) and also forwarded to her a link to this page, so that she has knowledge about the very limited FOI response from Newcastle City Council. We hope that Chi will be in touch with the Council in order to clarify this situation.
We passed on our dissatisfaction to the national Information  Commissioners Office and, on 14th November 2025, we received confirmation that they will look into this situation.
We feel strongly that issues relating to public health in the city should be in the public domain. If there is an issue about the quality of service currently being provided to the public, then the public need to know – they are OUR services and they affect US.  

Read our communications with the Council below – scroll from the bottom up.

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Wednesday 10th December 2025 – Damning CQC report re privatised Sexual Health Services in Newcastle

CQC report published today

CLICK HERE

to see the article in todays Chronicle
Before privatisation and under the NHS, the Sexual Health Service was once a flagship resource.
Very saddening.
KONPNE have been following up Newcastle City Council re FOIs about this, but received little information in response.  Only three weeks ago, following our contact with the  Information Commissioners Office, we heard that the ICO will be considering our requests further.
We are dissatisfied with the lack of transparency shown by Newcastle City Council.
In addition to the original information requested,  we now need to know how much money has been wasted through this privatisation exercise undertaken by the Council, what the impact has been on clients, and how many expert staff have  moved on or been lost to the NHS through this privatisation two years ago. 
We will be taking this further. 
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Email 8

Email response from the Information Commissioner Office
14th November 2025
Response received from Information Commissioner Office, confirming that our complaint is now eligible for investigation
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Email 7

Email to Information Commissioner, providing relevant emails from Newcastle City Council
12th November 2026
Dear ICO
Further to your recent email requesting original FOI email responses from the Council, I have now forwarded to you separately 6 emails, all with your reference code.  I hope that these are safely received.
Email 1; Initial FOI request to Newcastle City Council 15.8.25
Email 2: Council request for more information 20.8.25
Email 3: We provided more info to the Council  28.8.25
Email 4: FOI response from Newcastle City Council  3.9.25
Email 5: Our request for an internal review  10.9.25
Email 6: Internal review response from Newcastle City Council   19.9.25
Our correspondence to yourselves at Information Commissioners Office is below (this was sent to you by post on 4th October 2025)
We would be grateful if you would please review the decision-making process of Newcastle City Council, with a view to the Council providing the relevant information.
I thank you for your attention
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Email 6

Email to Chi Onwurah MP (Newcastle Central and West)
4th October 2025
Dear Chi
You will be aware that, further to the report in the Chronicle https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-sexual-health-service-nhs-32043520., members of  KONPNE were appalled to hear that a Newcastle City Council officer has concerns about the quality of service provided by the privatised Sexual Health service in the city – referred to at a meeting of the Finance and Budget Monitoring Scrutiny Committee, Newcastle City Council, on the 8th of July 2025 but, as far as we can see, no specific information about the concerns was provided.
This issue was discussed with you when you met with Helen and Maggie last month.
We have requested information from Newcastle City Council via FOI (15th August 2025) and, subsequently, again via an internal review of the FOI (10th September 2025), but no specific information about the actual concerns is forthcoming.
This issue was important enough to be referred to at a minuted Council finance meeting. Members of the group feel strongly that if there is a problem with the quality of any service contracted by the Council and provided to the public, and the public are still using it, then the public have a right to know what the issues are.
To bring you up-to-date – we have, today (4th October 2025), written to the national Information Commissioner about this issue, requesting a review of the decision-making process and release of the relevant information.
For info, all of our communications with the Council, the Information Commissioner and FOIs are on our website here:https://konpnortheast.com/foi-re-privatised-sexual-health-service/
Your input would be welcomed. We would be grateful if you would make enquiries about this important issue to determine the cause of concern.
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Email 5

Request for Review of Information to national Information Commissioner
4th October 2025
Information Commissioner’s Office
Dear Information Commissioner
Re FOI 24858, Newcastle City Council
I write on behalf of the Campaign group “Keep Our NHS Public North East”. We are a group of people who campaign for a publicly funded and publicly provided NHS.
We were appalled to hear that a Newcastle City Council officer has concerns about the quality of service provided by the privatised Sexual Health service in the city. These concerns were referred to at a meeting of the Finance and Budget Monitoring Scrutiny Committee, Newcastle City Council, on the 8th of July 2025 but, as far as we can see, no specific information about the concerns was provided by the officer at this meeting. This is reported on in the Chronicle here: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-sexual-health-service-nhs-32043520. 
We have requested information from Newcastle City Council via FOI and, subsequently, via an internal review of the FOI, but no specific information about the actual concerns is forthcoming.
This issue was important enough to be referred to at a minuted Council finance meeting. Members of the group feel strongly that if there is a problem with the quality of any service contracted by the Council and provided to the public, and the public are still using it, then the public have a right to know what the issues are.
I would be grateful if you would review this decision-making process, with a view to the Council providing the relevant information.
I look forward to your response.
Thank you for your attention
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Email 4

Response from Newcastle City Council, following Freedom of Information request for an internal review of their decision 
Received 19th September 2025
We write with reference to your email dated 10th September regarding your request for an internal review of the handling of your freedom of information request by Newcastle City Council.
We have carried out an internal review of the handling of your original request in accordance with the City Council’s FOI internal review procedure and section 5 (Internal Reviews) of the Freedom of Information Act (Section 45) Code of Practice.
The internal review has been undertaken by an Information Governance Officer who was not involved in the handling of your request for information at first instance.
Your request for an Internal Review
We would be grateful if you would please review, and forward the following outstanding information from Points 2 and 3 in our original FOI request (15th August 2025):
2) exact details of the cause for concern – which areas should be better – and how this negative situation currently sits with contractual arrangements. Please confirm if there is any breach of contract or related issue
3) plans as to how the situation is to be remedied and monitored
The Council’s Original FOI Response
Point 2 & 3: We are currently engaging in candid discussions with the provider regarding the perceived areas of concern. As these conversations are still underway, and to facilitate a frank exchange of views between the Council and the contractor, documents relating to these conversations remain confidential at this stage.
Internal Review Response
The Original Response issued by the Council has been upheld.
Further to the Council’s original response, the information you have requested is exempt information and falls under Section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act – ‘Information provided in Confidence’
A description of Section 41 is information which is held by a public authority, but which was provided by a third party will be exempt information if disclosure by the public authority to the public would constitute an actionable breach of confidence.
Section 41 is an Absolute Exemption therefore the public interest test does not apply to the exemption as it has been determined there would be an actionable breach of confidence, for these reasons we are unable to comply with this part of your request.
Right of Complaint to the Information Commissioner
If you are dissatisfied with the response or with how we have handled the internal review, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). The contact details for the ICO are as follows: (address provided)
Information Governance Officer, Newcastle City Council
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Email 3

Request for Review of Information to Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
10th September 2025
Dear FOI Team, Newcastle City Council
Reference FOI 24858
Privatised Sexual Health Services
I write on behalf of Keep Our NHS Public North East. The information you provide will be shared with members of the group.
Thank you for your email response (3rd September 2025) – I would be grateful if you would please consider an internal review of the information provided.
Your email has been considered by members of Keep Our NHS Public North East. We maintain that issues relating to public health in the city should be in the public domain. If there is an issue about the quality of service currently being provided to the public, then the public need to know.
We would be grateful if you would please review, and forward the following outstanding information from Points 2 and 3 in our original FOI request (15th August 2025):
2) exact details of the cause for concern – which areas should be better – and how this negative situation currently sits with contractual arrangements. Please confirm if there is any breach of contract or related issue
3) plans as to how the situation is to be remedied and monitored
Further to our initial FOI request, you wrote (20th August 2025) to seek more information about our requirements, and I copy our response here for clarity: 
“Regarding Point 2, it is clear that a Council official has cause for concern about the current sexual health service. There is no detail about exactly what is at issue. This was reported on very vaguely in the newspaper item, and this may reflect the way it was spoken about at the meeting. There was, apparently, some reference to quality. Please identify exactly what the issue or problem is. Please also identify if the issue reflects a breach in the contract between Newcastle City Council and the service provider, and / or if operational guidance needs to be changed as a result of this situation.
Regarding Point 3, given that “service quality should be better”, please provide details of the steps taken by the Council and the service provider to rectify this situation, ie: how service quality will be improved, and also please provide information about timelines and how these improvements will be maintained and monitored in the future.
In terms of scope of information, may I suggest that a written paragraph about each of the five points would suffice, and attaching documents as requested plus any other key documents, as seen relevant.  We do not wish for Council staff to spend excessive amounts of time in following up on this.”
We note that conversations are underway between the Council and the private provider and we request, with regard to the openness and accountability as required by the FOI Act 2000, some indication of the context, the cause of concern and the proposed way forward regarding this matter, as detailed above.
I thank you for your attention
John Whalley
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Email 2

Response from Newcastle City Council, following Freedom of Information request (see below).
Received 3rd September 2025
Dear John
Our Response to your Freedom of Information
Request: FOI 24858
Please see answers to your FOI regarding the Sexual Health contract for Newcastle:
– Point 1: The meeting you are referring to is the Finance and Budget Monitoring Scrutiny Committee, held Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 3pm. Notes from this meeting are available online here:
https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=2466&MId=14735&V
er=4
– Point 2 & 3: We are currently engaging in candid discussions with the provider regarding the perceived areas of concern. As these conversations are still underway, and to facilitate a frank exchange of views between the Council and the contractor, documents relating to these conversations remain confidential at this stage.
– Point 4: We do not hold a copy of the recent CQC inspection report, as this is yet to be published. Once available, it will be uploaded on the CQC website here:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-20398608646
– Point 5: The contract length is 4 years with 3 x 12-month options to extend. The current end date of the contract is 30 September 2027, however if the maximum options to extend are used, the end date would be 30 September 2030.
Yours sincerely,
Melissa Brown
Consultant in Public Health
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Email 1

Freedom of Information request to Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
15th August 2025
Dear Newcastle upon Tyne City Council Freedom of Information Team
I write to request information under the Freedom of Information Act, on behalf of “Keep Our NHS Public North East”. The information you provide will be shared with members of our group.
I understand that, at around 11th July 2025, Newcastle councillors were informed by Public Health personnel that they had “identified areas where service quality should and could be better”. This statement related to the privatised Sexual Health Service commissioned by Newcastle City Council, and is recorded in the Chronicle article found at https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-sexual-health-service-nhs-32043520
I would be grateful if you would please
1) identify the date and name of the meeting, confirm who made the statement and provide minutes and the associated report (or a link) 
2) provide exact details of the cause for concern – which areas should be better – and how this negative situation currently sits with contractual arrangements. Please confirm if there is any breach of contract or related issue.
3) provide plans as to how the situation is to be remedied and monitored
4) provide a copy of the recent CQC inspection (or a link)
5) confirm the length and end date of the current contract
I thank you for your attention
John Whalley
Steering Group member
Keep Our NHS Public North East
No cuts or cash-driven closures  |  Fair pay for all NHS staff  |  A fully-funded, universal, publicly owned and publicly provided National Health Service