Black MPs – Janet Daby, Florence Eshalomi and Bell Ribeiro-Addy – representing London boroughs with some of the highest prevalence of HIV in the country have joined us to kick off National HIV Testing Week with a visit to University Hospital Lewisham.

With support from Elton John AIDS Foundation, hospitals in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham have been successfully piloting ‘opt-out’ HIV testing in Emergency Departments, offering everyone needing a blood test an HIV test too.
 
The pioneering approach taken by University Hospital Lewisham, King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital – to be rolled out across London, Brighton and central Manchester from April thanks to £20 million of NHS England funding – has diagnosed and returned to HIV clinic care huge numbers, in particular, those from south London’s Black African and Black Caribbean communities.

These populations have often been let down by traditional testing methods and are the most likely to be diagnosed late –  with 59% of all first time diagnoses in Black African people coming at a late stage, compared to 42% across all groups.

National HIV Testing Week is a collaboration between our charity and the Department for Health and Social Care, aiming to increase HIV testing among those who are sexually active. During this period, you can order a free HIV self-test to do at home.
 
Richard Angell, Campaigns Director, said: 'National HIV Testing Week is a key time for everyone to come forward and get a free and easy to use home HIV test. It is always best to know your status. There is lots of support whatever your result. HIV treatment stops the virus attacking your immune system and the drug PrEP is available to prevent HIV transmission for those who wish to remain negative.
 
'However, if the country is going to meet its goal of no new cases of HIV by 2030, it cannot wait for people to come forward. HIV testing must become routine in the NHS, as with the ED testing programme that the Elton John AIDS Foundation has piloted at University Hospital Lewisham and across south London. Many more black women and men who may not have known of their status have been diagnosed through this innovative approach to normalise testing for HIV.
 
'We welcome its further rollout across London, Brighton and Central Manchester from April but we believe at a minimum it needs rolling out in a further 35 Emergency Departments, from Blackpool to Bristol, Leicester to Liverpool.”

Janet Daby, MP for Lewisham East, said: 'It’s brilliant to see Lewisham leading the way in tackling health inequalities. Not only have Lewisham residents been receiving an enhanced service and opt-out HIV testing, others across London, Brighton and Manchester are following our example. This National HIV Testing Week I urge everyone in Lewisham to know their status and order an HIV test today.'
 
Florence Eshalomi, MP for Vauxhall and co-chair of the APPG on HIV & AIDS, said: “The opt-out approach to HIV testing clearly works and I look forward to seeing it go London wide soon. But we can’t stop there and it’s important this game changing approach to HIV testing is rolled out across the country to ensure equity of progress for all affected by HIV.'
 
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Streatham, said: 'No one can be left behind when it comes to reaching the Government’s goal of ending new HIV cases by 2030, and opt-out HIV testing is a vital part of this. The evidence speaks for itself with more women, heterosexuals and people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage diagnosed via this approach than in sexual health services. For this reason, we also need to see HIV prevention pill PrEP made available beyond sexual health clinics to reach all of the people who could benefit.”
 
Dr Melanie Rosenvinge, Consultant in GU Medicine at University Hospital Lewisham, said: 'We are proud to be leading the way on opt-out HIV testing, even more proud people are following our example. This partnership with The Elton John AIDS Foundation has meant 52 people have been newly diagnosed with HIV in our Emergency Department and are successfully on treatment, and a further 85 have been returned to life- changing care. It was a pleasure to be able to showcase this service to parliamentary advocates for better HIV testing and treatment – Janet Daby, Florence Eshalomi and Bell Ribeiro-Addy – and the oldest HIV charity in Europe, Terrence Higgins Trust.'
 
At University Hospital Lewisham, Elton John AIDS Foundation’s programme has diagnosed 52 people and returned to care another 85. 57% are Black African or Black Caribbean and 63% had heterosexual contact as a transmission route. 44% were between 35-49 years old, another 30% were 50-64 and 6% were 65 or over.
 
58% were men and 42% women, way higher than the national picture – women make up 30% of those receiving HV care and 25% of new diagnosis. This represents 18 women who were newly diagnosed and 39 returned to care. 74% of these women were Black African or Black Caribbean and 97% had a transmission route through heterosexual contact. 84% were 35 or over –the oldest being 85.