Merton Council is set to broaden its collaboration on sexual health services by welcoming the London Borough of Sutton into its existing consortium with Wandsworth and Richmond upon Thames.
The decision, made during a Cabinet meeting on Monday 22 September 2025, aims to create a more streamlined and comprehensive service for residents across the four boroughs. The council approved Merton Local Authority's procurement of a new contract for Integrated Sexual Health (ISH) Services for a contract term of 5.5 years with option for a contract extension of up to 5 years.
The move comes after an unsuccessful attempt in 2024 to procure an ISH service through a competitive tender, which had to be abandoned due to a lack of viable submissions. According to the Cabinet Agenda 22 September 2025, the council hopes the expanded consortium will attract more interest from the market and provide greater stability for providers.
The council also approved the procurement of the ISH service using the Most Suitable Provider process under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations, with Wandsworth taking on the lead authority role for the procurement. Under the PSR, the “Most Suitable Provider Process” allows a contract to be awarded without a competitive tender process because the relevant authority has identified the most suitable provider based on available information and objective criteria.
An inter-authority agreement (IAA) will be established to define the roles and responsibilities of each participating local authority. While the specific details of how costs and responsibilities will be distributed are not yet available, the IAA will detail the partnership approach.
The new service will be commissioned in accordance with the revised London Sexual Health Service Specification, which seeks to standardise sexual health services across the capital. The aim is to provide a service similar to the current one, but with increased technological innovation and a focus on attracting more residents to local services. The Merton Sexual Health Strategy 2020-2025 outlines the vision for residents to be seen at the right place and time for their needs, with the ISH service focusing on more complex cases. The ISH service will be designed to meet the specific needs of Merton's local population and are regularly reviewed and adjusted so that inequalities in access and health outcomes are addressed. The service will contribute to tackling health inequalities and disadvantage across the borough, allowing people to access STI testing, treatment and contraception whether they live near to a sexual health service or not.
