Health: HIV

Lord Hughes of Woodside Excerpts

Thursday 29th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, yes. We believe that the complex needs of people with HIV will be best served by the work being done by the HIV national clinical reference group of the NHS Commissioning Board. The board will commission these services in the future, and that will drive greater consistency and quality throughout the system.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside]

My Lords—

[Baroness Trumpington]

Our turn. I am not sure whether I am in order but I should like to congratulate, through this House, the Minister on his award yesterday as Minister of the Year in the Lords.

[Earl Howe]

I am exceedingly grateful to my noble friend for that and for not asking me a question that I was unable to answer.

[Lord Hughes of Woodside]

My Lords, I am grateful that I gave way. In view of the reports of an alarming increase in the incidence of HIV, is not the old adage that prevention is better than cure even more important? Is this significant rise in HIV incidence caused by less use of condoms, or what?

[Earl Howe]

In fact, the numbers are more or less stable if one compares this year to last. However, the noble Lord is right: we cannot drop our guard in this area. There is a pressing need to reduce undiagnosed HIV. It is estimated that about 23,000 people are undiagnosed and 47% of those newly diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed late—that was the figure for last year. That is why the prevention campaign through local authorities will be so critical in this area.