Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to ensure provision of mental health services for people living with HIV, and (2) to ensure there are effective referral pathways between HIV clinics and NHS Talking Therapies.

NHS England has now approved plans to fully delegate the commissioning of appropriate specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs), including specialised HIV services, in the East of England, Midlands and the North West regions of England from April 2024.

NHS England will also continue to jointly commission appropriate specialised services with ICBs, including specialised HIV services, in the South West, South East, London and the North East and Yorkshire regions of England for a further year. This will help support a smooth transition of commissioning responsibility by April 2025.

The national service specification sets out the requirement for agreeing pathways which define responsibility for meeting non-HIV needs of patients and identify shared care, including clinical psychology and psychological support services.

From 2018/19, all NHS Talking Therapies services have been commissioned to establish pathways for people living with long-term physical health conditions as a key mechanism to ensure the delivery of increased access to psychological therapies. The NHS Talking Therapies Programme has developed an e-learning module for Talking Therapies staff on HIV. This will enable therapists to support people with anxiety and depression related to the experience of living with HIV.