7. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: World AIDS Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:15 pm on 30 November 2021.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 5:15, 30 November 2021

(Translated)

Thank you very much, Deputy Llywydd. I'm very pleased that we as a Senedd have an opportunity to mark World AIDS Day. It's an opportunity to praise everyone involved with HIV Testing Week Cymru, which was co-ordinated by Fast Track Cardiff & Vale, and the aim was to break down the stigma that prevents people from taking a test. It then ties in to the target of preventing new HIV infections by 2030, and I'm very pleased and proud that Wales has been in the vanguard in being the first nation in the UK to commit to that target and also to ensure that PrEP is available on the NHS.

We in Plaid Cymru have a stated aspiration of bringing the target forward to 2026. It's very important that we are ambitious and, as the World AIDS Day message tells us, we don't need to just talk a good game, but we need to have plans in place in order to deliver against those ambitions. The aim in New Zealand is to eradicate by 2025. They have a similar number of people being treated for HIV as we have here in Wales, so that gives us an idea of what we could be aiming towards.

Can I ask, as a first question, what steps the Government has taken already to learn lessons from international good practice, such as using the three principles of staying safe, testing early and treating early, as they've done in New Zealand, in order to bring that target forward?

So, yes, we need to turn words into action. That's the demand of the Terrence Higgins Trust. We are very proud that we have that long-term ambition. It's important to have that in place, but I'd also be grateful to know what are the smaller steps that the Government will take on the road towards that target. So, can the Minister commit today, when the HIV action plan is brought forward next year, to include in that the steps year on year that will be taken to increase testing, to target resources and to tackle stigma that will then be part of a realistic plan to reach that longer-term target?

I'd also like an assurance on continued funding in the long term for a HIV testing programme and an STI testing programme through the post, which has been successful on a national level.

Turning to PrEP, access to PrEP, as we know, is crucial in bringing HIV transmission rates down and, indeed, to ending them, hopefully. During the pandemic, as we've heard, a decision was taken to prescribe and monitor people on PrEP through the Attend Anywhere platform. As you need a negative HIV test before PrEP is prescribed, clinicians could post HIV antigen tests into people's homes and then prescribe up to six months of PrEP and monitor patients online. Will the Government continue with that prescription and monitoring programme online in order for those who want to avoid clinics to do so? And to look at that from the other end of the telescope, how will the Minister ensure that, for those who prefer or need face-to-face services, they can access those services in order to ensure fair access to appointments? Everyone's looking at different ways of accessing that, of course.

Also a question on mental health services, which we know are so very important. A Positive Voices survey back in 2017 stated that those living with HIV in England and Wales are twice as likely to experience mental health issues as compared to the general population. So, what steps is the Welsh Government taking along with the Welsh health boards to ensure that the necessary mental health provision is in place?

And finally, I very much applaud the work done by Fast-Track Cities in Cardiff and the surrounding area, including that testing week that I mentioned earlier. I had a very beneficial meeting with them earlier this year discussing the possibility of expanding the plan to the Bangor area in north Wales, on the doorstep of my constituency. So, would the Government support the establishment of Fast-Track Cities networks in cities or other areas of Wales in order to build on the success of the programme in Cardiff and ensure that the whole nation can benefit from the good work done?