Latest collaboration between three leading HIV/AIDS organisations seeks to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030
National AIDS Trust, Terrence Higgins Trust, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation are calling for input on the UK Government’s new HIV Action Plan in the hope of making the UK the first country to end new HIV infections by 2030.
The three organisations are encouraging people living with or at risk of HIV, clinicians, public health experts, charities and anyone else who wishes to contribute to share their views and ideas on how the UK can end new cases of HIV by 2030.
Drawing on their previous joint work on the HIV Commission, which formed the basis for the current HIV Action Plan, the three organisations believe their combined expertise make them ideally placed to be convening these critical discussions and influencing future Government action.
If the UK is to reach its goal of ending new transmissions of HIV by 2030, three key questions must be answered:
- What has worked so far, can’t be lost, and needs to continue in the new plan?
- How can the 2025 Action Plan address the inequalities and unmet needs experienced in HIV prevention and by people living with HIV?
- What new initiatives and interventions must the 2025 Action Plan deliver?
As well as an online survey, the collaboration will be hosting in-person and online ‘roundtable’ events, and also drawing on the range of recent policy and research work.
Following the research, discussions and input, a shared vision and recommendations for the 2025 Action Plan will be published by the end of 2024. The charities hope these will be taken forward by Government and incorporated in the new Action Plan.
Daniel Fluskey, Director of Policy at National AIDS Trust, said: “Getting the next Action Plan right is central to giving us a fighting chance of achieving the 2030 targets to end new HIV transmissions in the UK. We need to harness the passion, expertise and knowledge of the many existing groups of people who care about this issue, and listen to their voices, if we are going to make the next Action Plan a success. So I am pleased that we are working together again with our friends at Terrence Higgins Trust and Elton John AIDS Foundation on this really important collaboration. I’m looking forward to hearing from many people and organisations through this process, and really encourage as many as possible to share their views.”
Richard Angell, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the HIV epidemic in the UK. But we’ll only get there if the Government publishes an ambitious new HIV Action Plan. That’s why we’re delighted to be collaborating with National AIDS Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation to drive progress towards England becoming the first country in the world to end new cases of HIV. We call on the government to publish an action plan worthy of its name.
“We need as many people from the HIV community as possible to share their views on how we can achieve zero HIV transmissions by 2030. Because while we’ve made tremendous progress, including the fight for PrEP access on the NHS, the roll out of opt-out HIV testing in high prevalence parts of the country and the overturning of stigmatising laws, our current pace of change is much too slow. Together, we can make sure the new Action Plan delivers for everyone living with HIV and ends new HIV cases once and for all.”
For more information, read the joint blog from the CEOs of the three charities, here.