Views

Pank Sethi, member of our Community Advisory Group, shares personal reflections on why HIV and prisons still matter in 2026.

A new project by National AIDS Trust will set out clear priorities beyond the health service to ensure that no one is left behind in the goal to end the HIV epidemic. 

Our young people advisory group reflect on the importance of young people involvement's in HIV policy and what they hope to see in the future.

In March 2015, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, announced the first national diabetes prevention programme. Reflecting on the potential for the NHS to reduce the future costs of diabetes care by supporting people to lose weight, exercise and eat better, he said that "if these results were from a pill we'd doubtless be popping it

Some readers will recall the campaign NAT led at the end of 2014 to prevent national HIV prevention spending being cut by 50%. We were successful – and last year in 2015/16 the overall amount spent by central government remained more or less stable at £2.4 million. But what now are the plans for the current year, 2016/17? NAT wrote to Public Health England (PHE) to find out. One thing is clear… not enough is being done in England to prevent HIV transmissions.

For many in HIV advocacy addressing stigma is the Holy Grail.

Many, if not all, of the factors that drive the HIV epidemic are embroiled with stigma. The impact it has on the lives of people living with HIV is well documented. In a recent survey of over half of people living with HIV reported feelings of shame, guilt, low self-esteem and self-blame; one in five had experienced verbal harassment or threats.1

Stigma should be our top priority, yet we have not identified concrete strategies for reducing it. So why do we find stigma so difficult to tackle?

NAT responds to the Government announcement of a NICE Evidence review on PrEP

Jane Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, announced on Tuesday 7 June in the House of Commons a NICE Evidence Review to look into the case for PrEP, and in particular its cost-effectiveness. The review should report in advance of the previously announced £2m pilot towards the end of the year, and will apparently feed in to that pilot.

In 2014 3,346 people across England and Wales died because they had a drug overdose. This is the highest number since records began and in England this represents a 17% rise from the previous year, a dramatic deterioration of the situation for people who use drugs in this country.

In early 2015 we wrote to David Cameron ahead of the General Election to ask his party to support statutory and LGBT inclusive Sex and Relationships Education (SRE). The response we received from our now re-elected Prime Minister was telling. Despite the topic of the original letter, the response had no mention of the terms LGBT, gay, trans* or same-sex relationship. Even the term SRE was removed – he referred to PSHE only. It was a sex-less response.

In March, NHS England announced it was pulling the plug on an 18 month process to decide whether or not to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.

Rarely has a u-turn, rarely has a breach of trust, been so misleadingly announced. Reading NHS England’s press release, ‘Update on commissioning and provision of PrEP for HIV prevention’ (21 March 2016), you would think the NHS were simply clarifying progress to date and the well understood responsibilities for the commissioning of PrEP. In fact this press release was the announcement of a shocking U-turn as NHS England suddenly abandoned its own process for the approval of PrEP, just before its conclusion, with nothing to replace it bar some loose change found down the back of the sofa.

Reducing new HIV infections has been a priority in the UK ever since the epidemic’s outbreak. It’s taken so seriously the vast majority of ways to prevent infection are free to those who need them. Condoms and lube can be accessed for free, people who inject drugs should have access to free injecting equipment through Needle and Syringe Programmes, and people can begin HIV treatment (also free) immediately if this reduces their risk of passing on HIV to others. These methods have and will continue to contribute to the UK’s relatively successful response to the epidemic.