6. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: An Update on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis — Our Approach in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:00 pm on 2 October 2018.

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Photo of Angela Burns Angela Burns Conservative 5:00, 2 October 2018

Thank you for your statement today, Minister. It's welcome news. There is a steady increase in the number of people living with HIV in Wales, which reflects, actually, an increase in survival and new diagnoses—both of which are to be welcomed—and we believe that PrEP plays an important role in reducing these new diagnoses. 

I have two areas of questioning. Not all people have had equal access to the drug. Previously, you have highlighted that there were challenges in Powys, due to the lack of services, and that meant that there wasn't a consistent all-Wales approach. Back in May 2018, you gave assurances that this would be rectified, so I wonder if you could outline what progress has been made in these areas. And, with this newly available drug, really, it's important that clinicians and the prescribing medical professionals are aware of the new drug and prescribe it as required, so perhaps you can just give us a bit of an update about the consistency and universality of access to PrEP throughout Wales, but particularly looking at Powys. 

The second area I just wanted to ask you about was the outcomes of the Welsh trial so far. I was pleased to see that you are monitoring the prevalence of STIs that are detected, and I assume that, as part of that, you are talking about, or they are being given information on, the education and use of condoms et cetera, et cetera. But I was slightly concerned to see that, of the 559 at-risk people who took the drug, 153 are unknown or have been lost to follow-up, and I wonder if, perhaps, you could give us a bit of an overview as to why that has happened, how we've managed—. You know, those 153 have disappeared off our radar. What do we need to do to ensure that the people who come onto this PrEP drug actually stay with it and stick with the whole process, because, of course, as you have already identified, they are the most at-risk people?