United Kingdom
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| National policy | |
|---|---|
| National policy/strategy or official recommendations on HIV testing? | Yes |
| Who can administer HIV tests? | |
| Restrictions on who can legally administer HIV tests? | No |
| Which groups can legally do HIV testing? | |
| Further comments | |
| Free HIV testing | |
| HIV testing free to all who want it? | Yes for all |
| Further comments | Harder in prison but technically available |
| Is free HIV testing available? | Across whole country |
| Further comments | |
| HIV testing restrictions | |
| HIV testing access restricted for some groups/populations? | No |
| Which groups are restricted | |
| Further comments | |
| Availability of testing in non-clinical settings | |
| Is testing available in any of the following ways? | |
| Postal HIV sampling legal? | Yes |
| Home HIV testing legal? | Yes |
| Community testing at NGOs legal? | Yes |
| Community/outreach event testing legal? | Yes |
| Other | |
| Rapid tests used by community based testing services/initiatives? | |
| Anonymity/Confidentiality of HIV testing | |
| Anonymous testing available? | Yes |
| If yes, please give details | No need to give details when attending an STI clinic. The National Health Service (Venereal Diseases) Regulations 1974 |
| If not, why not, what sort of information is required and is there any promise of confidentiality? | |
| Discrimination & equality | |
| Legislation | |
| Legislation protecting the rights of people with HIV? | Yes |
| Further comments | Equality Act 2010, HIV is classed as a disability from diagnosis, disability is a protected characteristic in the act. See http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents |
| Other key populations | |
| Needle exchange available for people who inject drugs? | Yes |
| Further comments | Availability of needle exchange is also confirmed by information available on https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction |
| Opiate substitution therapy available? | Yes |
| Further comments | Availability of OST
is also confirmed by information available on https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction |
| Are PWID (people who inject drugs) excluded from HIV treatment while actively using drugs? | No |
| Further comments | |
| Legal to sell sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | Some recent proposals to make this illegal, may well not happen. For more information: http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work/386/United%20Kingdom |
| Legal to buy sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | Some aspects are decriminalized. Illegal to solicit or offer/advertise--meaning street workers can be arrested for standing around. Brothels are illegal. For more information: http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work/386/United%20Kingdom |
| Access to HIV Treatment | |
| Free access to HIV treatment? | Yes, for all |
| Further comments | Debate about taking it away from undocumented migrants in England but nothing happened yet. |
| Status and access to HIV treatment and care in your country | |
| Access to HIV treatment restricted for certain populations with HIV? | No |
| Which groups are restricted? |
|
| If more than one of the above populations selected, please give more information | |
| Status | |
| Country status | EU |
| Mobility in Europe | |
| Do the following groups/populations have legal access to HIV treatment? (i.e provided on the same basis as citizens of the country) | |
| Legal treatment access: Other EU migrant nationals | Yes there is universal access |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: general non-EU migrants | Yes there is universal access |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants with asylum/refugee status | Yes there is universal access |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | In practice, they may not access the services due to a 'hostile environment' or confusion from the health staff themselves. |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants who are undocumented | Yes there is universal access |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Further comments | |
| About this data | |
| Last minor revision | 12 July 2016 |
| Last major revision | 5 January 2017 |
| Published | |
| Data sources | As well as responses from in-country individuals information was taken from the follwing sources:http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/aids/Pages/monitoring-dublin-declaration.aspx Sex Work Laws These included https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_by_country#Europe The Global Network of Sex Work Projects www.nswp.org and country sources and http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work and http://spl.ids.ac.uk/sexworklaw Drug use Needle exchange information was taken from Harm Reduction International who have an interactive tool https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction Criminal Law http://criminalisation.gnpplus.net has useful info about the criminal law and is searchable by country as well as http://www.hivjustice.net/site/countries/ MSM http://ilga.org/what-we-do/state-sponsored-homophobia-report/ (2016) |
| Data contacts | Responses were received from LASS (www.lass.org.uk), NLTSG Staffordshire Buddies and Public Health England. |