National AIDS Trust welcomes announcement of extra money to address HIV poverty and need

The National AIDS Trust welcomes the announcement from the Department of Health of increases over the next three years in the AIDS Support Grant for local authorities, designed to meet the social care needs of people living with HIV.

50,000 people are diagnosed with HIV in England, and about one in three of them have experienced severe poverty.  Fewer than half of people with HIV are in paid employment.  The additional money will improve the ability of HIV support organisations and local authority services to meet care needs at a time when support services for people with HIV are increasingly under pressure. 

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust, said:

“On the eve of World AIDS Day it is great to see the Government taking seriously the social needs of people living with HIV in this country.  But given the way recent public health funding was diverted at the local level, our one plea is that this ring-fenced budget is actually spent on those it is meant to benefit – people with HIV. 

In 2008 Government, local authorities and the voluntary sector must work together to ensure that this money is well spent and that we start tackling effectively the significant social and economic needs of the many thousands of people living with HIV in England.”

Notes to the Editor:

The National AIDS Trust (NAT) is the UK's leading independent policy and campaigning voice on HIV and AIDS. It aims to prevent the spread of HIV, encourage early diagnosis, ensure people living with HIV have access to treatment and care, and eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.