On World AIDS Day (1 December) the National AIDS Trust (NAT) is releasing a call-to-action on how the needs of people living with HIV should be met by the changing NHS in England.¹

The Five Year Forward View and Sustainability Transformation Plans are setting an agenda for a new approach to supporting people with long-term conditions in England.  NHS England have promised a greater emphasis on person-centred care and more joined-up services, both of which would be welcomed by people living with HIV.

NAT’s major new report, HIV in the Future NHS, looks at the opportunities these plans offer for HIV- but also the significant challenges which need to be overcome.  Most notable amongst these are the disjointed arrangements and unclear delineation of commissioning responsibility which remain a legacy of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. 

These bureaucratic barriers to providing effective HIV services led to NAT’s successful judicial review of the NHS England decision on commissioning pre-exposure prophylaxis earlier this year. ²  And the ongoing impact of the 2012 Act on the effective running of HIV services is illustrated by the inquiry findings released today by the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV and AIDS.³

Deborah Gold, Chief Executive of NAT, says:

“This World AIDS Day, NAT is calling for a step-change in how the NHS approaches HIV.  We need to maintain our excellent treatment outcomes while building future health services which meet the care and support needs of the over 100,000 people who will live with HIV for the rest of their lives. 

For this to happen we need to move on from the confusion over commissioning responsibility which has overshadowed conversations about HIV services.  Leadership is needed from the Government and NHS England on how we can make our health system work for everyone living with HIV.

Someone diagnosed with HIV in a timely way today will live a normal life expectancy - let’s now build a health service which gives them the best possible quality of life.”

Notes to editors:

About NAT

NAT (National AIDS Trust) is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming society’s response to HIV. We provide fresh thinking, expertise and practical resources. We champion the rights of people living with HIV and campaign for change.

Shaping attitudes. Challenging injustice. Changing lives.

www.nat.org.uk

www.lifewithHIV.org  – a resource for HIV positive people