Stakeholder Engagement Report - London Councils

interventions and supporting individuals to remain negative. However, it was recognised
that the role, skills and competencies of health advisors are variable, and many
stakeholders identified the need to incorporate much broader risk factors into their
intervention portfolio (including alcohol and drug use).
“People are thinking about sex when they are going to have sex. They aren’t thinking
about HIV risk etc. they are thinking about sex! The current HIV prevention message
is a clinical message - we are trying to change hearts and minds which is attitudinal.
Targeting those at real risk is key.”
The views expressed on Treatment as Prevention (TasP) as an HIV prevention tool were
more consensual given the known benefits of early diagnoses and early treatment
interventions. However, again, there was a note of caution - that too much focus on
clinically based interventions does not address the individual health and other challenges
faced by people with an HIV positive diagnoses.
“HIV is much more than medication – stigma has a huge part to play. Treatment as
Prevention (TasP) needs to go side by side with other programmes. We need to identify
and discuss risk with people at different stages in their lives.”
Suggested Approaches
It was commonly agreed that as earlier diagnosis saves lives and reduces treatment costs,
there is a need to increase the number of HIV tests in the community. Local Authorities
now have the opportunity to introduce HIV testing in a broader range of community and
primary care settings. Stakeholders believe there are opportunities to work in much
closer partnership with third sector and other community services to provide Point of
Care Testing (POCT) in a variety of settings.
Stakeholders recommended that all Local Authorities should be monitored on their
numbers of local residents tested for HIV and be monitored on the numbers of residents
diagnosed late for HIV, thus reducing the efficacy of their treatment and care.
Some stakeholders supported adoption of the “Halve It” Campaign, which is seen to be
an effective medical intervention. (Halve the proportion of people diagnosed late with
HIV (CD4 count