“I am determined this generation will be the one that ends new cases of HIV within England by 2030”, Prime Minister said ahead of World AIDS Day
Yesterday (28 November, 2024), Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new funding to bolster the Government’s pledge to end new cases of HIV in England by 2030.
At a reception in No10 Downing Street to mark World AIDS Day, attended by campaigners and public health experts, the Prime Minister confirmed £27 million as part of an expanded highly successful NHS emergency department opt-out testing programme. This investment builds on the success of our HIV Social Impact Bond, which proved highly effective in identifying people living with HIV, connecting them to care, and saving the health system millions. A further £37 million has been committed for the global HIV response.
“With this government, you will not be alone in the fight against HIV. We will stand together – for as long as it takes – both in memory of those we have lost, and in support those who are living with HIV today,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “I’m determined that this generation will be the one that ends new cases of HIV within England by 2030.”
At the reception the Prime Minister thanked the ongoing work of campaigners, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Terrence Higgins Trust and the National AIDS Trust, for the successful work that has been done to raise awareness of, and end the stigma around, HIV and AIDS, and helping to shape the government’s upcoming refreshed HIV Action Plan which is due to be published in summer 2025.
“Ahead of World AIDS Day, we welcome the UK Government’s announcement today to provide £27 million in funding for opt-out testing in accident and emergency departments across England – an approach the Elton John AIDS Foundation first piloted with our partners in London boroughs in 2018. If we are to reach our shared goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030, we need to find the estimated 4,700 people living with undiagnosed HIV in the England and support the 11,000 people who are already diagnosed but who are either not in HIV care, not treated or not supported to achieve an undetectable viral load,” said Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
“We are also hugely encouraged to see the government take a stand on the international stage and invest a further £37 million in the global HIV/AIDS response. Five decades on from when the AIDS epidemic started, someone still loses their life to AIDS-related causes every minute and it’s imperative that we start treating HIV like any other chronic illness and ensure that everyone has access to the prevention, care, treatment they need here in the UK and around the globe. We have the tools and the knowledge to end HIV, what we need now is investment in the right programmes and to end the stigma and discrimination that surrounds this disease if we are to finally end AIDS for all.”
Building on the Success of Opt-Out HIV Testing
Opt-out HIV testing is important to address health inequalities by reaching groups, such as people from ethnic minorities or women.
Over three years (2018 – 2021), the Elton John AIDS Foundation joined forces with Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Councils, The National Lottery Community Fund, ViiV Healthcare, Comic Relief, and Big Issue, to roll out the world’s first HIV Social Impact Bond focused on bringing people living with HIV into care.
This focussed in on the south London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham because of their very high HIV prevalence. In hospital Emergency Departments, HIV clinics, GP surgeries, and community settings, providers received outcome-based payments whenever they identified people who were either newly diagnosed with HIV or had stopped their treatment, and successfully re-engaged in care. More than 265,000 people received HIV testing and more than 460 south Londoners living with HIV entered treatment—saving the healthcare system approximately £90 million.
Since then, NHS England’s emergency department opt-out testing programme has been hugely successful. During the first 24 months, 34 emergency departments conducted over 2 million HIV tests, and diagnosed 391 new cases of HIV (new HIV diagnoses data is only available to December 2023).
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This government has made it our mission to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. There can be no room for complacency. If we want to stop HIV, we have to act. That’s why I am delighted we’re extending the emergency department HIV opt-out testing scheme.
“Since it was first introduced, it has uncovered hundreds new diagnoses of HIV providing a vital safety net to all those infected, while helping to end the cycle of HIV transmission from one person to another.
“I would like to thank all of our partners for their work in this space, and as we work together toward creating the new HIV Action Plan.”
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Pictures by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street
