HIV/AIDS: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the £5 million trial of HIV home testing through the NHS App will address the ASSIST study finding that postal testing uptake is higher among White and affluent populations, risking widening inequalities among populations who already experience higher stigma.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) home testing programme has engaged directly with the ASSIST research team to understand the risks of open access, first come first served models. The insights from the ASSIST study are informing thinking not only for HIV testing but for the wider home testing ambition, where effective targeting of key populations will be important across multiple conditions. Recommendations such as invitation‑based approaches and simplified journeys are being considered as part of ongoing service design.
The programme is working with local authority commissioners to explore approaches to reaching people who have never tested before. This includes considering how population-level data, such as UK Health Security Agency insights, might inform future targeting without reinforcing stigma.
While the NHS App is one access route, the service is being designed with flexibility in mind, including consideration of alternative, non-digital or assisted routes to testing. This reflects evidence from ASSIST on barriers linked to digital access, health literacy, age, and housing circumstances.
The programme is working in partnership with commissioners and providers so that it complements, rather than replaces, existing face-to-face services and does not create unmanaged pressure in local systems.
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