Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries
 Printable version
|
Increased funding to tackle HIV welcome but further improvements in access to PrEP required, WEC warns
The Government’s HIV Action Plan, backed with £170 million in funding is welcome, but further improvements in access to PrEP are required, the Women and Equalities Committee has said, following the Government’s response published recently (February 6) to its report ‘Tackling HIV transmission’.
Focus and investment in the plan on expanding opt out testing in areas of high and very high prevalence could make a ‘real difference’, WEC said. It includes encouraging opt out testing in primary care, sexual and reproductive health services and abortion services - something the Committee called for in its November 2025 report.
WEC’s report noted that increased awareness, testing and access to PrEP was needed to meet the ‘ambition’ to end new HIV transmissions in England by 2030, particularly among key groups. MPs also cited a concerning drop in testing for young people and a lack of access to tests alongside decreased use of contraception among this cohort. Ministers’ response to the report partially accepted seven of the nine recommendations, with two accepted.
The Government’s response recently said:
“As outlined in the new HIV Action Plan, we are commissioning a new national HIV Prevention England programme, investing £4.8 million from April 2026 to March 2029 to improve awareness of HIV prevention among at-risk and underserved populations.
This will provide national targeted campaigns to the 5 groups that are disproportionately affected by HIV and are priority groups in the new HIV Action Plan – ethnic minority gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (GBMSM), White GBMSM, Black African heterosexual men, Black African heterosexual women and all other ethnic minority heterosexual adults, including young people within these groups.”
It said that ‘targeted testing will be carried out in communities, helping to raise awareness and reduce the number of individuals living with HIV who are undiagnosed’, but added ‘an HIV testing campaign aimed at all young people would not be cost effective’.
The Committee’s report called on the Government to increase access to PrEP including digitally and via community pharmacies. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an antiretroviral medication given to people who test negative to HIV to reduce the risk of acquisition.
It should roll out digital access to PrEP nationally to help address unacceptable delays and challenges in accessing sexual health services and prescriptions, particularly in rural areas, WEC said.
In its response, the Government recently stated:
“As part of the new £5 million trial to provide HIV testing in the NHS App, from 2026 onwards the government will review options for expanding digital provision to HIV prevention, including online provision of PrEP through the NHS App.”
It added:
“In November 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved injectable cabotegravir, a new injectable used for HIV prevention that offers protection through two-monthly injections. This will benefit around 2,000 people who are unable to take oral PrEP, helping to address a critical gap for vulnerable people, who previously had limited options.”
Chair comment
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP Sarah Owen recently said:
“The new HIV Action Plan and, importantly, the funding that underpins it, is very welcome. Expanding the opt out testing programme has the potential to make a real difference and will help the Government to meet its target of zero HIV transmissions by 2030.
"However, a lack of funding for stretched sexual health services is a significant impediment. The Government has increased the Public Health Grant, some of that increase must be passed down to sexual health services if we are to successfully bear down on HIV, as well as other STIs.
“The Government’s plans to increase access to PrEP are encouraging but a reluctance to involve community pharmacies or to roll out digital access to PrEP nationally immediately are missed opportunities which I urge the Government to reconsider.
"Injectable PrEP has the potential to be a huge step forwards in the battle against HIV and will provide protection to a cohort who might otherwise have been missed. The Government must ensure that access to it is not limited in a way that will impact some of the most vulnerable people.”
Further information
Original article link: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/211784/increased-funding-to-tackle-hiv-welcome-but-further-improvements-in-access-to-prep-required-wec-warns/
