£170 million to end new cases of HIV: how your support made it happen

This World AIDS Day, the government released a new HIV Action Plan for England, which includes £170 million of funding for HIV testing and care - the biggest new investment in HIV testing and support in decades. Transformational commitments include a new £9 million national programme to re-engage people in life-saving HIV care, a £5 million pilot of HIV testing on the NHS App and long-term funding of opt-out blood-borne virus testing in 91 A&Es across England. 

Since 2022, we have been campaigning for this HIV Action Plan, from securing commitments from political parties during the election, through to advocating for the policies within it. Here is how we got here.

In 2020, we founded the HIV Commission with our friends at National AIDS Trust and Elton John AIDS Foundation. Wes Streeting MP (now Health Secretary) served as one of the commissioners, alongside experts in their fields from across medicine, charities and business.

Its recommendations helped shape the first HIV Action Plan for England, which covered the period 2022 to 2025.

With partners, we secured some big wins during the lifetime of this action plan – including the roll-out of opt-out testing. But it wasn’t far enough – the data continues to show that we are not on track to end new HIV cases by 2030. 

1. Making the case at political party conferences

We headed to the Labour and Conservative party conferences to build a coalition for action around ending new HIV cases, ahead of the general election.

At the 2023 Labour Party Conference, then Shadow Public Health Minister Preet Gill committed to renew the HIV Action Plan at our event – a key pledge ahead of the election.

Commitments from the Conservatives and the Green Party followed during the General Election.

2. Our HIV and Sexual Health Manifesto for the General Election was backed by our partners

With our friends at National AIDS Trust, we created a manifesto for HIV and Sexual Health, backed by over 20 organisations. Our fundamental ask of all parties ahead of the election was to commit to renew the HIV Action Plan for England. Our supporters amplified the message, emailing their parliamentary candidates to find out their policies around supporting people living with HIV and ending new cases. We were proud of our campaign – and HIV was the only health condition other than cancer that was included in the manifestos of all major parties.

3. The power of a cuppa: engaging new MPs

The 2025 election saw a record number of new MPs heading to Westminster – many of whom would never have had to think before about how they could help end the HIV epidemic.

We knew we needed to engage as many as possible and make sure the impact they could have around HIV was front-of-mind. Across Westminster, in offices and kitchens, mugs started appearing with a simple message: 'You can end new HIV cases by 2030.'

4. Terry on the walls at the Department of Health

After the 2024 election, the first external meeting for the new Public Health Minister was with Terrence Higgins Trust and other HIV organisations. Then, we reiterated our asks for a renewed HIV Action Plan for England and presented the minister with a portrait of Terry Higgins, which is hung in the Department – a constant reminder of the historic opportunity to end new HIV cases.

5. A new HIV Action Plan is commissioned

Our HIV Prevention England conference in 2024 was opened by the Public Health Minister. It is the largest non-clinical HIV conference in the UK and was the perfect location for him to announce the commissioning of a new HIV Action Plan, fulfilling a manifesto commitment.

6. Understanding how to get to no new cases by 2030

With our partners National AIDS Trust and Elton John AIDS Foundation, we drew on the knowledge of the whole HIV sector, running a series of sessions engaging different organisations and individuals in what was essential to make the 2030 goal a reality.

This resulted in our Getting on Track report, which we launched in November 2024 to key stakeholders across the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and beyond. The government welcomed the report, which went on to inform the new plan. 

7.    The Prime Minister leads by example

In February 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer became the first UK leader to publicly test for HIV. He did this to mark National HIV Testing Week, which is organised by Terrence Higgins Trust on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care. It made headlines around the world and sent a very clear signal of his personal commitment to ending new HIV cases.

8. New Public Health Minister joins our event

In the same week, the new Public Health Minister, Ashley Dalton MP, attended our reception with the Labour African Network for National HIV Testing Week, her first event in her new role. At it, she heard about how tackling health inequalities was key to ending new cases. Ensuring that no community is left behind is a key part of the new action plan, including the new national programme to re-engage people who have been diagnosed but are not attending an HIV clinic.

9. Our Chief Executive makes the case in Parliament

This Autumn, our Chief Executive appeared at two House of Commons select committees, detailing what needed to be in the HIV Action Plan to have the best chance of getting to no new cases of HIV by 2030. He highlighted repeatedly that a national at-home HIV testing service is vital. The Action Plan’s pilot of HIV testing though the NHS app is the first step toward building this.

10.  A parliamentary event on World AIDS Day

Our parliamentary reception on World AIDS Day gathered together key parliamentarians and people from across our community. It was the perfect platform for the Health Secretary to talk to the new Action Plan released earlier that day, and for many of those who will be needed to implement it to hear more about it.

Creating policy change like this takes time and commitment – much of it behind the scenes - but the results can be game-changing. We’re only able to do it because of dedicated supporters who want to see this change as much as we do.

You can help support our work by donating now.