We recognise that for very many people living with HIV the issue of confidentiality is really important. This is particularly so in places such as the workplace, schools and in healthcare settings.

People living with HIV continue often to face discrimination and experience stigma.   You will understandably want to know that information about your status is treated with care and sensitivity and that ultimately you decide who knows that you have HIV.

NAT frequently hears that people living with HIV are concerned about the confidentiality of their medical records.  Worries can range from fears about a community discovering someone’s HIV status, to experiencing discrimination from healthcare staff. 

NAT decided that it was important to undertake a review of confidentiality in healthcare.  This research focused on three main questions:

•  Why does medical confidentiality matter for people living with HIV? 
• What should people living with HIV expect from the NHS? 
• What do changes to NHS information sharing mean for people living with HIV?

Confidentiality in healthcare for people living with HIV offers answers to these questions, including sections on contact tracing, criminalisation, testing in different settings, and new NHS IT systems. 

One of the report’s recommendations is that a simple guide for people living with HIV is needed, explaining what rights you have, and what to expect from the NHS.  NAT will be producing this in the spring, and hope that it will be a useful tool for people living with HIV.

If you have any comments about this, or would like to contribute any thoughts, experiences or case studies to the guide, please contact policyandcampaigns@nat.org.uk