National HIV Testing Week 2016

National HIV Testing Week (NHTW) 2016 will start on Saturday 19 November 2016.

NHTW 2016 will be the fifth annual testing week to promote HIV testing to gay and bisexual men and black African men and women.

Last year hundreds of organisations participated by raising awareness, providing extra testing opportunities and promoting services - with many using the free NHTW resources. HIV Prevention England welcomes the participation of any organisation whose work reaches England’s key populations affected by HIV.

More information on NHTW.

Gay Men’s Sex Survey results

HPE funded Sigma Research, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, to conduct the 17th Gay Men’s Sex Survey (GMSS). The survey was community-recruited and is concerned with HIV and STI infections, sex between men, HIV prevention needs and service uptake. Over 15,000 men completed the survey and the findings have now been published.

The results [PDF] shows that whilst more gay and bisexual men than ever before are getting tested for HIV, a quarter have never had an HIV test, and a third are unsure about their HIV status.

Men’s ‘sexual happiness’ and it’s relationship with HIV infection is an issue which the report examines, and the findings indicate that men living with diagnosed HIV are no more, or less, likely to be unhappy with their sex life than men who have not tested HIV positive

As well as exploring HIV prevention opportunities, capabilities and motivations using a range of indicators about unmet prevention need, the report also looks at a number of risk and precaution behaviours related to sex and drugs, and examines data about the performance of HIV prevention interventions.

Report on HPE stakeholder event – Monday 9 May

HPE Stakeholder Event Report 218x300We ran an event on Monday 9 May inviting key stakeholders from across the HIV prevention sector. Attendees were presented with the future plans for the programme and discussed HPE’s future plans for local delivery, including what funding is available and how to get involved. Sixty-three people attended and the afternoon covered:

  • reflections on the previous four years of HIV Prevention England
  • an overview of the national HIV prevention programme going forward, how organisations can get involved and what funding opportunities are available.
  • how the programme can best support local HIV prevention services and add value
  • input on the development of the campaign and the sector development programme.

Yusef Azad from National AIDS Trust presented on the developments in HIV prevention since 2012, and Taku Mukiwa and Cary James from Terrence Higgins Trust presented on HPE’s achievements since 2012 and plans for going forward from 2016.

A report on the event, along with presentations from the day, can be found below: