Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to address the potential impact of HIV stigma on women, particularly Black African women and menopausal women.

On World AIDS Day, 1 December 2025, the Department published the new HIV Action Plan, which was developed in collaboration with UK Health Security Agency and NHS England. The plan is backed by over £170 million in funding and sets out five core priorities needed to reach our ambition to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. One of these priorities is to address stigma and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including an action to ensure the needs of women living with HIV are considered and addressed in future work, and the role of care for menopausal women living with HIV is included in women’s health hubs best practice.

The Department is also investing £4.8 million from 2026 to 2029 in the newly procured National HIV Prevention England Programme, which will be delivered by a consortium of the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Africa Advocacy Foundation. This programme includes an aim to reduce levels of HIV related stigma, particularly self-stigma and stigma within different communities, including Black African women.

In high and very high prevalence areas, routine HIV testing is normalised within emergency departments, through the Blood Borne Virus (BBV) emergency department opt-out testing programme. This helps to reduce stigma, avoids singling out individuals, and improves early diagnoses, including among people from Black African heritage who are less likely to access traditional sexual health services.

NHS England promotes and funds HIV peer support services in the BBV emergency department opt-out testing programme, recognising the role of lived-experience facilitators in reducing isolation and stigma. Case studies, including for women in their 50s diagnosed via emergency department testing, highlight how peer-led support fosters empowerment and combats stigma-related barriers.