The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Neil O’Brien)
I am pleased to update the House on the publication of the first annual update to Parliament on the HIV action plan. In January 2019, the Government committed to an ambition to end new HIV transmissions, AIDS diagnoses, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. Achievement of these ambitious commitments—including our interim commitment to an 80% reduction in transmissions by 2025—is within our grasp, and we should be encouraged by the progress already made. This progress is testament to the collective and ongoing efforts of many organisations across the UK Health Security Agency, local government, the NHS and wider health system, statutory agencies, and the voluntary and community sector.
As part of the plan, we committed to update Parliament each year on the progress made towards our ambition to end new HIV transmissions, AIDS, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. I am proud to present to Parliament a summary of the work undertaken towards these objectives in 2022-23.
Despite the challenging backdrop of the covid pandemic, England has seen a 33% fall in new HIV diagnoses since 2019. NHS England has committed £20 million in funding for 2022 to 2025 to expand HIV opt-out testing in emergency departments in areas with the highest HIV prevalence. This has helped diagnose 2,000 new cases of blood-borne viruses (hepatitis B and C as well as HIV) in the first year of the programme. During National HIV Testing Week 2023 almost 22,000 free HIV testing kits were ordered by the public—with self-testing kits that provide instant at-home results available for the first time. We have also established the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group to oversee progress, as well as a Community Advisory Group and four task and finish groups to support PrEP access and equity; workforce; HIV control strategies in low prevalence areas; and retention and engagement in care, and I look forward to seeing the impact they will make.
[HCWS838]