10pc increase in NHS birth control

MORE Oldhamers are using NHS contraception clinics, according to latest figures.

Jane Hughes is the chief executive of Oldham Brook in Union Street which offers services for the under-25s.

She said: “We have seen a 10 per cent increase in the number of people using our service in 2008-09 and an 18 per cent increase in attendances to our clinics.

“Some 5,735 young people used our service in 2008-09 with 12,939 attendances.”

The higher figure is the number of total visits to our service, so for example some people may have visited two or three times in the year and others only once.

The number of men using Oldham Brook has remained constant at around 27 per cent of its total users.

Most visitors (59 per cent) were aged 16-19 and just over a fifth of visits (21 per cent) were made by young people aged 15 and under.

Condoms were the primary method of birth control (34 per cent), with the pill second (17 per cent) and long-acting reversible contraceptives third (5 per cent).

Mrs Hughes added: “It is important to recognise that choice of methods does tend to shift with age.”

Nationally, 7 per cent more people (1.3 million) have used community contraception services in 2008-09, according to a report from The NHS Information Centre.