Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

HIV testing opt-out scheme should be implemented, report recommends

HIV testing opt-out scheme should be implemented, report recommends

CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed a report recommending an opt-out scheme for HIV testing, in the hopes it will reach under-represented groups in the UK.

Published on Wednesday (21), the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on HIV/AIDs said opt-out testing should be adopted across healthcare settings, including when patients register for a GP or when the NHS takes blood samples.


The move comes as the latest statistics show BAME communities are disproportionally impacted by HIV in the UK. 44 per cent of the 4,139 new diagnoses in 2019 were among ethnic minorities. In the same year, 4 per cent of people receiving HIV care were of South Asian ethnicity.

Experts believe introducing an opt-out scheme will ensure testing is more accessible and will stop late diagnosis.

Parminder Sekhon is the chief executive officer of NAZ, a sexual health agency working to address sexual health inequalities in ethnic minority communities. She said the opt-out system is “definitely the way forward”.

LEAD HIV INSET Parminder Sekhon Parminder Sekhon

“It's the way forward to eradicate stigma and for us to stop thinking of it as a standalone infection that has all the connotations of stigma and taboo around it,” she told Eastern Eye on Wednesday. “It signals to people this is a health condition that needs to be tested for.”

She added: “Early detection means you can have access to life saving treatment and live a normal life.”

Sekhon said the pilot opt-out scheme had already proved successful in maternity wards. “It normalizes HIV test as part of routine blood tests,” she stated.

The government are currently working on their HIV action plan (which has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic) which aims to eliminate the disease’s transmission in England over the next decade.

Sekhon is hopeful ministers will take note of the APPG’s key recommendations and implement them in full.

However, the charity boss noted offering a test alone will not end the HIV epidemic. It is vital to understand the structural barriers that make engagement harder for BAME communities, she said.

The report recommends that more tailored and targeted HIV interventions are needed to reach out to under-represented groups.

“We hope the government seizes this vital moment to reach those that need our support the most by increasing access to HIV testing and understanding what motivates testing anxiety,” she said.

For instance, Sekhon believes informed discussions by medical professionals need to be taking place if an individual declines a HIV test.

“What’s happening is that no one is having a secondary conversation around what's making this individual say no (to the HIV test) and why they are feeling anxious,” she noted. “What I propose is having medical and health literacy, making informed choices and having the space and time to talk to individuals about what are some of their reservations are.”

Other recommendations in the report include all clinicians and frontline staff receiving regular training so they are confident in having discussions about HIV; access to at-home HIV testing services across the UK, with a particular focus on rural areas; and digital infrastructures should be scaled up for people on low incomes, creating easier access to HIV testing and the wider healthcare system.

In 2019 105,200 people were estimated to be living with HIV infection in the UK. Of these, 6,600 (6 per cent) are estimated to be undiagnosed.

If you have any concerns or require further information relating to HIV, please see: www.naz.org.uk

More For You

Spain earthquakes

Almería airport sustained damage in its departures lounge

CSmonitor

Spain earthquakes: What we know about the 5.4-magnitude tremor that shook tourist regions

Highlights:

  • A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Almería, southern Spain, at 7.13 am on Monday
  • The tremor was felt in over 50 towns, including tourist destinations like Malaga
  • No injuries have been reported, but building damage occurred in airports and showrooms
  • The quake follows a weekend of floods and severe weather in Spain
  • No UK Foreign Office travel warnings have been issued, but travellers are advised to check local alerts

Southern Spain was rocked by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake on the morning of Monda,y 14 July, with tremors felt across several provinces, including popular tourist destinations.

The earthquake struck at 7.13 am off the coast of Almería, nearly two miles below sea level, according to Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN). Despite its intensity, there have been no reported injuries, although some structural damage has occurred.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India chief says crash report opens new questions, no conclusions yet

A PRELIMINARY report into last month's Air India plane crash that killed 260 people has raised further questions, and the investigation is still ongoing, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a memo to staff on Monday.

The initial report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday, pointed to confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson

Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson turn heads with intense PDA before Trump’s Club World Cup appearance

Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson flaunt PDA ahead of FIFA Club World Cup final​

Highlights:

  • Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson were seen getting intimate at Teterboro Airport before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
  • The couple matched in white shirts and embraced publicly while awaiting President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
  • Anderson defended Don Jr online earlier this year after a New York Magazine article criticised him.
  • Trump Jr’s ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle was recently appointed US Ambassador to Greece, while ex-wife Vanessa is now dating Tiger Woods.

Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson turned heads over the weekend with an unabashed public display of affection on the tarmac in Teterboro, New Jersey, just before President Trump and Melania Trump landed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final. The couple, who have been together since mid-2024, looked inseparable as they hugged, kissed, and held hands openly, seemingly unconcerned by the presence of others or nearby cameras.

 Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson All eyes on Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson as their PDA grabs attention before Trump’s arrivalGetty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump-Getty

Trump will become the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles to host Donald Trump for state visit in September

KING CHARLES will host US president Donald Trump in September for a second state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.

The visit is scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 September.

Keep ReadingShow less
southend london plane crash

A plume of black smoke rises from an area near the runway after a small plane crash, as seen from inside a building at London Southend Airport on July 13, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Southend Airport closed after plane crash

LONDON Southend Airport in Essex has been closed until further notice after a small plane crashed at the airport on England’s south-east coast on Sunday, according to police.

In a post on X, London Southend Airport said all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while emergency services, police, and air accident investigators are at the scene.

Keep ReadingShow less