The first annual report to Parliament on England’s HIV Action Plan was made on 8 June 2023. Our Chief Executive, Richard Angell, has released a statement, responding to the data released so far and what we need to do if we want to stay on track to our national goal to end all new cases of HIV by 2030.

Ending new HIV cases in England by 2030 is possible, but not yet probable. The Government’s report on the first year of progress against the HIV Action Plan acknowledges that there has been a 32% overall fall in new HIV diagnoses in the last two years. The fact is, we are still missing opportunities at every stage – to test for HIV, to get people on to PrEP and to make sure everyone living with HIV is accessing the care they need.

We know what works. The new data show that nearly 2,000 people have been newly diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in hospital A&E departments in London, Manchester, Brighton and Blackpool – as a result of the £20 million investment from the HIV Action Plan. This highly successful government programme pays for itself many times over in savings to the NHS in care costs.

That’s extraordinary, but people living with undiagnosed HIV are more than twice as likely to live outside of London. We have to expand this remarkable programme to the 42 A&Es in areas with a high prevalence across the country - as the national guidelines say.

Two years on from the routine commissioning of PrEP, nearly 60% of people are waiting more than 12 weeks to access it. Even more just don’t know they could benefit from it.

The HIV Action Plan included a commitment to develop a plan for the provision of PrEP in settings beyond sexual and reproductive health services. Making PrEP available in places like pharmacies and GP surgeries would open access to people reluctant to go to sexual health clinics and take pressure off those strained services.

More than a year on from the publication of the HIV Action Plan, PrEP still isn’t available in one pharmacy or GPs surgery in England – let alone online as it should be.

The report also highlights the growing numbers of people who are ‘not retained in care’ – people who have been previously diagnosed with HIV but are not attending their HIV clinic or accessing treatment.

UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) has estimated that this is the case for as many as 22,670 people living with HIV in England, who could be essentially lost in the healthcare system. We won't end new cases of HIV without investing in HIV clinics so they can find those people and make sure they have the support they need.

We have seen remarkable progress on HIV in the last 40 years. Now ending new cases within this decade is within reach. But when you come close to the finish line, you have to speed up and not slow down. Today's report is a clear reminder of that.

Richard Angell is Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust.