PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
HIV Infection: Drugs and Mental Health Services (23 March 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) availability of mental health services and (b) adherence to HIV medication among people living with HIV.

Asked by:
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour)

We would expect treatment services, such as HIV clinics, to take patients’ mental health needs into account as part of their overall care. Evidence related to people living with HIV and mental health will be considered as we develop our Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and the HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.

Adherence of HIV medication among people living with HIV is captured and reviewed by the clinical teams supporting patients through their ongoing care. Clinical care is further supported through the capturing of data by the HARS database. This system enables clinical teams to record treatment and prescribing information as well as collecting markers on viral load, which can also be an indicator of a patient’s adherence to their HIV medication.

Answered by:
Jo Churchill (Conservative)
1 April 2021