Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand access to preventative HIV care beyond sexual health services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring equality and equity of access to HIV prevention and treatment for all. We recognise that testing is the best way to determine your HIV status, and to ensure people can take appropriate measures to protect themselves and others from transmitting or acquiring HIV.
We are making excellent progress with the blood borne virus opt-out testing programme in the highest HIV prevalence areas, helping us reach those who do not typically engage with sexual health services. In its first 28 months, the programme has identified 1,360 undiagnosed or untreated HIV cases, and over 5,000 cases of untreated or undiagnosed hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
The Department has commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan, including content and scope, which we aim to publish by summer 2025.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle inequalities in access to preventative HIV care and (b) end new HIV transmissions by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV is a key priority for the Government, and we have commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, with a strong focus on tackling inequalities, HIV care access and outcomes, and preventive HIV care, which we aim to publish by summer 2025.
We will continue working with local government and other partners, together with the UK Health Security Agency and NSH England, to support local planning, commissioning, and delivery of high quality and effective public services over the long term.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of levels of inequality in HIV (a) care access and (b) outcomes.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV is a key priority for the Government, and we have commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, with a strong focus on tackling inequalities, HIV care access and outcomes, and preventive HIV care, which we aim to publish by summer 2025.
We will continue working with local government and other partners, together with the UK Health Security Agency and NSH England, to support local planning, commissioning, and delivery of high quality and effective public services over the long term.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support local commissioning areas to (a) identify and (b) address HIV inequalities.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV is a key priority for the Government, and we have commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, with a strong focus on tackling inequalities, HIV care access and outcomes, and preventive HIV care, which we aim to publish by summer 2025.
We will continue working with local government and other partners, together with the UK Health Security Agency and NSH England, to support local planning, commissioning, and delivery of high quality and effective public services over the long term.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a new HIV Action Plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV is a key priority for the Government, and we have commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, with a strong focus on tackling inequalities, HIV care access and outcomes, and preventive HIV care, which we aim to publish by summer 2025.
We will continue working with local government and other partners, together with the UK Health Security Agency and NSH England, to support local planning, commissioning, and delivery of high quality and effective public services over the long term.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure HIV health promotion campaigns are (a) culturally appropriate and (b) effective in reaching (i) under-served and (ii) at-risk communities.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring equality and equity of access to HIV prevention and treatment for all. We have commissioned officials for advice on how to progress the development of a new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish by summer 2025. This will include seeking advice from our community and voluntary sector partners on how best to engage and consider the specific needs of under-served and at-risk communities.
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England. It delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work for communities at higher risk of transmission such as black African heterosexual communities and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. HPE is funded by the Department, who have appointed the Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who campaign about, and provide services related to, sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2025.
The programme has recently hosted their 6th biannual conference, which brought together over 200 representatives from the HIV sector to share ideas, best practice, and research, drawing attention to the need to prioritise impactful and equitable interventions, considering the specific needs of those at greater risk. The presentations, workshops and materials will be made available online at HPE’s website next week.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department is giving to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the recent mpox outbreaks in that country.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
During his visit to DRC in August, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Africa), Lord Collins, announced £3.1 million UK funding to UNICEF for cholera and mpox response in DRC. It will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities and will boost the DRC's national response for mpox by bolstering surveillance, and ensuring thousands of patients can access healthcare as well as nutritious food to fight infection. The UK is also providing £340 million core voluntary contribution to WHO over 2020-2024, as well as £3 million to WHO's regional office to Africa for health emergency response.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the implementation of recommendations given by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the routine provision of (a) MPOX vaccination and (b) the targeted use of the meningococcal B vaccination for gonorrhoea prevention.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 10 November 2023 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued advice on creating targeted, routine vaccination programmes for the prevention of Mpox and gonorrhoea.
Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England are developing policy options based on the JCVI’s advice. A decision on the vaccination programme for the prevention of gonorrhoea will be taken following the outcome of this process. The policy position on the Mpox vaccination programme is being updated to reflect the emerging international concerns, and a decision on this is expected shortly.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the (a) routine provision of MPOX vaccination and (b) targeted use of the meningococcal B vaccination for gonorrhoea prevention.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 10 November 2023 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued advice on creating targeted, routine vaccination programmes for the prevention of Mpox and gonorrhoea.
Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England are developing policy options based on the JCVI’s advice. A decision on the vaccination programme for the prevention of gonorrhoea will be taken following the outcome of this process. The policy position on the Mpox vaccination programme is being updated to reflect the emerging international concerns, and a decision on this is expected shortly.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of HIV transmissions to zero by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to congratulate my Honourable Friend for her re-election and for her valuable work as Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on HIV, AIDS and Sexual Health in the last parliament, as well as her advocacy on HIV, particularly for the Black community in South London. HIV is a priority for the government and, as set out in our manifesto, we will commission a new plan to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030.