In 2015, an HIV outbreak was detected amongst people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Glasgow. Three years on the outbreak has still not been controlled, and over 100 PWIDs in Scotland have been diagnosed with HIV. Those diagnosed have complex needs and experience severe social exclusion, with 40% having a history of incarceration and 45% reported ever being homeless.
Do we have PrEP in England? Well, yes and no. We have the PrEP Impact trial which currently has 10,000 places available for PrEP in sexual health clinics across the country. The study is being paid for by NHS England, which is a great step forward from where we were two years ago. Back then, the NHS were insisting that they didn’t have the powers to pay for PrEP. NAT had to take the NHS to court to convince them otherwise.
Last week the Government published the 2017 Drugs Strategy, the first national drugs strategy since 2010. The previous drug strategy was heavily criticised for its focus on abstinence, and little mention of harm reduction initiatives. The 2017 Drugs Strategy unfortunately does not go much further.
In two years, investment in community based HIV prevention decreased by over a third in London. This coincided with significant Government cuts to the public health grant. In the same period, there has been reduction in HIV diagnoses amongst MSM in some parts of the city. So, do the funding cuts to prevention matter? If we want to sustain and build on our success, then yes, they matter a lot.
We’re calling on the next government to stand with people affected by HIV
One argument you see amongst those critical or worried about the introduction of PrEP is that it will result in big increases in STIs as gay and bisexual men (and indeed others at risk of HIV) throw away their condoms. But does the evidence support such fears? And as importantly, what do those fears tell us about our views of HIV and gay sexual health?
Following the news that Glasgow will open the first safe injecting rooms in the UK, Daniel Vincent asks if we’re doing enough in England and Wales to meet the health needs of people who inject drugs.
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
