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Jacqui Stevenson, Senior Policy, Research and Influencing Manager, reflects on prioritising people's quality of life in HIV policy.

Digital transformation holds real potential for strengthening the UK’s HIV response but only if the right safeguards, investment, and co-production with communities are put in place.

In this important month for the community, in a year that has seen increasing challenges and rollback of LGBT+ rights in the UK and around the world, we asked some colleagues, supporters and allies what Pride means to them in 2025. 

In September 2014 we joined forces with QX magazine on an open letter to political leaders in the calling for: ‘All political parties to commit to age-appropriate SRE which includes content on same-sex relationships.’

NHS England is now looking at making changes to how 'specialised services' like HIV are commissioned. Depending on the approach they take, it could amount to what is effectively another restructure of the current system - but they aren't giving a lot of details.

In the four years since the abolition of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) was first proposed by the Government, I have heard a cacophony of concern from people living with HIV, HIV doctors and HIV support organisations.

Last week nearly 1500 people wrote to the Minister for Public Health, Jane Ellison, successfully gaining a reversal of the decision to cut the national HIV prevention programme by 50%.

Treatment for HIV involves combining drugs from three different classes of anti-retroviral (ARVs) and there are single pill regimens that contain such combinations. Pills which only have to be taken with one or two others, and only once a day, are also available and are popular.

Like many people I was alarmed this morning to hear Nigel Farage’s comments to Newsweek and on the radio about not letting migrants with HIV into the UK. What he has said, and how he responded when challenged about these positions, shows a disturbing lack of knowledge about the reality of HIV today.

Last week Public Health England launched a new publication, Making it work: a guide to whole system commissioning for sexual and reproductive health and HIV. This is a must-read guide for anyone involved in the commissioning of HIV services - and we immediately took to Facebook and Twitter to say as much.