Together with Terrence Higgins Trust and National AIDS Trust, we’ve launched our joint manifesto to end HIV transmission in Scotland by 2030.
Scotland has the chance to become the first country in the world to end new HIV transmissions – but it will take bold and urgent action.
HIV is now a manageable health condition. With effective treatment, people can live full, healthy lives. But HIV related stigma and barriers to healthcare persist. It’s essential that the next government commits to ending stigma, tackling health inequalities and supporting people to live well.
With the Scottish Parliament election approaching, we are calling for all political parties to re-commit to ending HIV transmission in Scotland by 2030. The next government must renew the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan within the first year and urgently deliver on existing commitments.
The new plan must contain these key actions:
- Roll-out opt-out HIV and blood borne virus testing in emergency departments
- Deliver a National Online HIV Prevention Service for HIV testing and PrEP
- Re-engage everyone lost to HIV care
- Support people living with HIV to live well through investment in HIV peer and mental health support
- Fund national campaigns to tackle stigma, improve HIV awareness and normalise testing
Email your election candidates
Use our draft letter to contact your MSP candidates about ending new HIV transmissions and HIV related stigma in Scotland.
Grant Sugden, Chief Executive of Waverley Care says:
“Scotland has made significant progress towards ending new HIV transmissions. But to stay on course, we must go further and faster. Where improvements are shown to be effective, they must be rolled out and properly funded across the country. We must also take further action to ensure that everyone living with HIV in Scotland today can live well. The third sector has a vital role to play and must be recognised and funded as a key delivery partner. The next Scottish Government has the opportunity to turn this vision into reality – but it must act with urgency.”
Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said:
“The next intake of MSPs could be the generation that ends the HIV epidemic in Scotland. Scotland has an incredible history of leading the world in medical innovations – to be the first country in the world to this epidemic, and to do so without a vaccine or a cure, could be the incredible next chapter in that story. Swift action by the next government will be needed to make it a reality.”
Daniel Fluskey, Director of Policy of National AIDS Trust said:
“We have all the tools to make the goal of ending new HIV transmissions in Scotland a reality. The effectiveness of treatment so that people living with HIV cannot pass the virus on, and the continual advancements in HIV prevention mean that in the next few years Scotland could be the first country to achieve the 2030 goal. This would be an amazing achievement, but it requires the next Scottish Government to make this a priority – the medicine and treatment alone isn’t enough, we need action to support people to live well with HIV and to end HIV-related stigma.”
Correction: of the 2,472 people prescribed PrEP for the first time in 2024, 88 were women (<4%), rather than >4% as referenced in the manifesto document on page 6.
Your voice matters
Write to your Scottish Parliament election candidates and tell them why ending HIV transmission and tackling HIV-related stigma must be a priority for the next government
Do you want to find out more about our influencing work and how you can get involved? Get in touch with Alice Clarkson, Senior Policy and Communications Officer at alice.clarkson@waverleycare.org