Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to increase access to HIV prevention interventions for women in England.

In order to reduce late diagnosis of HIV in women, NHS England is currently considering how it can address stigma, implementation of peer support and mental health in its HIV services and will take these recommendations for women into account.

Public Health England’s report HIV Testing in England: 2017 report highlights public health interventions that conduct and promote HIV testing in women, including the offer and uptake of antenatal testing for HIV to all pregnant women and to women attending sexual health clinics as well as through community and on-line testing services. A copy of HIV Testing in England: 2017 report is attached.

Women are included as a target audience in both national and local HIV prevention campaigns and media campaigns that promote a variety of HIV prevention options that target most at-risk populations which include men who have sex with men, black African women and men as well as women and men from other black and minority ethnic communities with a high or increasing burden of HIV.

The HIV Prevention Innovation Fund, organised by Public Health England, is open to voluntary sector organisations offering novel HIV prevention activities. Of the 12 projects funded in 2017/18, nine were inclusive of women.