A new HIV action plan will look to end transmissions in England by 2030, the Government has said.
The national programme, launched on World AIDs day, will be backed by £170m and will also aim to reduce the stigma around getting tested.
The funding will be used to continue investing in emergency department testing, where those who need a routine blood test are also automatically tested for HIV unless they opt out. This hopes to pick up infections earlier, when treatment is ‘most effective’.
The plan also includes £5m for a trial of HIV home testing kits that can be ordered through the NHS App.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘HIV treatment has been transformed. Today, people living with HIV can enjoy full, healthy lives – and can’t pass the virus on to others. That’s remarkable progress.
‘But we can go further. Ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 is ambitious – and this government is determined to make it happen.
‘Our national re-engagement programme, a truly innovative and agile approach, targets the epidemic where it’s growing and leaving no one behind. We’ll bring people into life-saving care and find infections early, when treatment works best, so everyone can live the full, healthy life they deserve.’
Dr Claire Fuller, NHS England’s national medical director, added: ‘The NHS is fully behind this Action Plan, which gives us the tools to diagnose people earlier, reconnect those who are not currently receiving care, and ensure every person living with HIV receives support without stigma.
‘Alongside opt-out HIV testing in A&E, we are launching a new £5 million digital trial so people can order home testing kits through the NHS App – making it easier and more discreet than ever to get checked.
‘With early diagnosis and the right treatment, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives and cannot pass the virus on and this plan brings us a major step closer to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030.’
UKHSA analysis published today suggested that 95% of people living with HIV had been diagnosed as of 2023, with an estimated 4,700 people with HIV remaining undiagnosed in England.
Gillian McLauchlan, lead for sexual health for the Association of Directors of Public Health, said: ‘This new HIV Action Plan is particularly welcome because it recognises that only through true collaboration between local authority public health teams, the NHS, and the voluntary and community sector will the UK end HIV transmissions.
‘Sustained and adequate investment is also vital – not just in the fight against HIV but to ensure that everyone can access high quality sexual and reproductive health services at the right time for them.’
In October, it was revealed that a new long-acting infection would be rolled out to around 1,000 people at risk of HIV.
