Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to provide effective HIV (a) testing, (b) treatment and (c) counselling services for the black community.

Since 2013, the Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual health services, including free and confidential HIV testing, and provision of the HIV prevention drug PrEP through the Public Health Grant, funded at £3.4 billion overall in 2022-23. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need and to commission the service lines that best suit their population.

NHS England are responsible for providing HIV treatment and care, which continues to have very high coverage and effectiveness across England. In 2022, among those with known treatment status, 98% received treatment, and 98% of those treated were virally suppressed.

The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living with HIV including within the black community. As part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan, a Workforce Task and Finish group was established in 2023, which will explore innovative ways for the workforce to provide better support to people of all demographics, including mental health support. They will present their recommendations to the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group, who will agree how the advice will be taken forward.

As set out in the NHS England Roadmap, specialised HIV inpatient and outpatient services have been identified as key areas for greater integrated care systems (ICS) leadership by NHS England and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). This will allow local systems to simplify and strengthen HIV care pathways with other services through effective local partnerships, including psychosocial support and mental health and counselling services, for a more holistic approach to care.