Over 20,000 self-testing and self-sampling kits will be made available to help end HIV transmissions by the end of the decade.
- Public health campaign to end HIV transmissions in England by 2030 given £1.5 million fund from government
- Funding will increase testing, reduce stigma, tackle health disparities and raise awareness
- The Prime Minister became the first serving G7 leader to have an HIV test on camera
Over 20,000 self-testing and self-sampling kits will be made available to help end HIV transmissions by the end of the decade.
The packs are part of a public health campaign to end the virus transmissions in England by 2030 and has been backed by £1.5 million in government funding.
To mark National HIV Testing Week, the government has also announced it will extend the national HIV prevention programme - HIV Prevention England (HPE) by a year.
The campaign, delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust and local partners, carries out vital work to increase testing for groups disproportionally affected by HIV and reduce stigma, as well as raise awareness of ways to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
The Prime Minister has given his backing by becoming the first ever serving leader of a G7 nation to take a self-testing HIV test on camera, demonstrating that getting a test is quick, easy, free, and confidential.
After undertaking a test, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said:
It is really important to do it, and I am pleased to have taken part too. It's easy, it is quick, and during Testing Week you can get a test free - so it is a great time to also take part.
If people test, they will know their status, it is better that people know and that is a good thing because you can then get treatment to help meet our target to end new HIV transmissions by 2030.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
Getting tested for HIV is quick, free and confidential and I would like to pay tribute to the leadership of my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister, for becoming the first in history to take a HIV test, the first leader in the history of the G7 to take a HIV test.
As a former member of the independent HIV commission, I'm determined that this government will deliver our commitment to end new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and we'll set this out shortly in our new Action Plan.
It comes as polling by YouGov, on behalf of HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, has found that more than 80% of adults in England are unaware it is possible to test for HIV at home. However, when prompted as an option, at-home testing was the most popular way to know your HIV status, with 44% of people saying it would be their preference.
Since the introduction of self-testing kits, home testing has increased in popularity, especially among women and some ethnic minorities who are less likely to test through their local sexual health services.
They can be ordered this week by anyone in England from www.startswithme.org.uk to use at home.
The funding follows on from £27 million announced by the Prime Minister to extend the NHS England innovative opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments, announced ahead of World Aids Day.
The move supports the government's Plan for Change by ensuring people can get timely access to diagnostics and care if they need it, while supporting the shift from sickness to prevention. It precedes the new HIV Action Plan, which is expected later this year.
Speaking at the House of Commons today, Public Health and Prevention Minister Ashley Dalton said:
Increasing HIV testing is a vital step towards meeting our goal and will be a core element of our new HIV Action Plan published later this year.
That's why we are investing over £4.5 million to deliver a national prevention programme.
And that's why today, I can announce that we will extend the programme for a further year to March 2026, backed by an extra £1.5 million.
Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said:
National HIV Testing Week is an award-winning campaign and we are so pleased that it will be back next year. The continued success of this partnership between Terrence Higgins Trust and the Department for Health and Social Care delivers 25,000 HIV at-home tests across England and is crucial in our joint mission to end new HIV cases by 2030.
England can be the first country in the world to end the epidemic, but we are not yet on track to do so. A new HIV Action Plan for England will turbo-charge those efforts. We are delighted that Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting are leading from the front in this mission.
Testing can also take place in community settings, not just at-home or at sexual health services.
The UK Health Security Agency has published its community testing survey results today, which show in 2023, testing in community settings - such as nightclubs, festivals, and voluntary sector premises - increased by 7% compared to 2022.
The report also found nearly a quarter of all tests were reported among individuals being tested for HIV for the first time. It also highlights the impact of National HIV Testing Week, noting that there was a 22% increase in the number of tests carried out in this time compared to 2022.
Dr Tamara Ðuretić, Head of HIV Section at the UK Health Security Agency, said:
HIV can affect anyone, no matter your gender or sexual orientation. It's good to see HIV Testing Week once again highlighting the hugely important role regular testing plays in helping to prevent new infections, alongside condom use.
Testing allows people to have access to free prevention interventions such as PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) and, should you test positive, ensures timely access to treatment that saves lives and prevents the virus being passed on.
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, said:
Increasing the early detection and diagnoses of HIV, enables the NHS to provide people with better access to the latest and most effective life-saving medication, which can prevent long-term health issues and reduces the chance of unknown transmissions to others.
Boosting opportunities to test for HIV, including through home testing and the highly successful NHS emergency department testing programme, is crucial. We would encourage anyone who could be living with HIV to order a test and get checked.
