A patient with HIV is pleading with Cheshire West and Chester Council to think again over its decision to transfer sexual health services away from the team who saved his life.

Known only as ‘Tony’, because of the stigma around HIV, the patient contacted The Chronicle over the council’s decision to take the contract from the Countess of Chester Hospital-based team and award it to Macclesfield-based East Cheshire NHS Trust from February 1.

He wrote: “Since my diagnosis Colm O’Mahony’s team at the Countess of Chester Hospital have shown clinical brilliance in the way they have treated me; from the initial devastation of learning that I carried (what I thought at the time) a potentially life threatening virus right up to date where the team shows me nothing but respect, compassion and above all support.

“I would like the politicians who made this decision to take a step back before they finalise their plans and ask the patients and the caring staff at the Countess for their views. Why in a city do they think it is the right decision to remove a vital community service away from the people it serves?

“I attend the clinic a couple of times each year for check ups; I collect my medication and I receive reassurance from the consultants as necessary. Thanks to the team I now know that I no longer have a death sentence hanging over me; the revolution in treatment over the past 20 or so years means that as long as I conform to medication my life expectancy is the same as most people.

“I am now experiencing severe anxiety about what the future will hold for me. I see no assurances about the future delivery of this provision. During my hospital visits I see many young people who are visiting about other sexually transmitted conditions: what will happen to them? Cheshire East is not yet saying where the services will be delivered. If the nearest clinic is actually situated in the east of the county my guess is that people will try to ignore their symptoms which in time will place more strain on NHS budgets as untreated sexually transmitted Infections will not just disappear; they will need expert intervention.

“I could go on. My overwhelming question is this: Cheshire West and Chester councillors need to take more time with such a step and start contacting staff, patients (anonymous survey) and really listen to Colm O’Mahony as he is an acknowledged leader in his field.”

Sexual health consultant Dr O’Mahony commented: “This letter makes me proud, sad and angry all at the same time. My team and I have been with this patient from his initial devastation on day one through to acceptance, management and back to a normal life. However, I cannot reassure him about anything. We have no idea where, how or even if, the HIV service will continue to be delivered from The Countess after the end of January 2015. I am pleading with the council to put this decision on hold and reassess the situation. My patients should not have to go through this.”

Council spokesman Ian Callister confirmed no locations for service delivery had so far been selected for the new provision which begins in eight weeks’ time.

He added: “The East Cheshire Bid was preferred because it was considered to provide a better quality, more innovative service. In offering a more community-focussed and better integrated model, it fulfilled one of the major objectives for the new service. Currently sexual health services in West Cheshire are provided by three NHS community health and one voluntary sector provider.”