PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
HIV Infection: Screening (21 February 2024)

As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England has expanded opt-out HIV testing in 34 emergency departments in local areas in England with extremely high HIV prevalence, as well as the whole of London, including some areas with high HIV prevalence. This programme began in 2022 and is funded by NHS England until the end of March 2025. In the first 21 months, the programme has preliminarily identified 685 people newly diagnosed with HIV and 384 people previously diagnosed with HIV, but not in care.

Given the success of the programme, the Department has committed an additional £20 million for new research, which will involve an expansion and evaluation of opt-out blood borne virus testing, including HIV, in 47 additional emergency departments in local areas with high HIV prevalence across England. Funding will support 12 months of testing for each emergency department, to begin in April 2024, but it is at the discretion of individual sites when the testing will commence.

Decisions on whether to continue offering opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments in local areas with high and extremely high HIV prevalence will be based on the outcomes of the current opt-out HIV testing programme and research project, as well as available funding.

There are currently no plans to assess the merits of opt-out HIV testing in general practice (GP) or other clinical settings, but HIV testing is already offered and recommended in some circumstances in a range of clinical settings, including GP surgeries, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s testing guidance. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng60/chapter/Recommendations#offering-and-recommending-hiv-testing-in-different-settings