Health

North-east London launches £1 million pilot to boost PrEP access among high-risk groups

Wednesday, 17 September 2025 4:05AM UTC

A new £1 million pilot programme in north-east London aims to increase access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among underrepresented communities, as part of efforts to eliminate new HIV transmissions by 2030 amid persistent health disparities.

A new £1 million pilot programme has been launched across north-east London to make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) more accessible to residents, aiming to curb the region’s persistently high HIV infection rates. This initiative comes as part of a broader effort to reduce new HIV transmissions to zero in the capital by 2030.

PrEP medication is highly effective, reducing the risk of contracting HIV from sex by 99 per cent. Despite this, uptake among key demographics remains uneven. In particular, women, Black African communities, and migrants from high-risk countries have historically underutilised the preventative treatment. The pilot will focus over the next 18 months on reaching around 3,000 people from these groups who have been less likely to access PrEP so far. The programme involves launching a digital service offering online assessments, expanding clinic availability in GP practices and community settings, and providing home testing kits by post. Four local councils—Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest—are coordinating the scheme.

According to Councillor Gillian Ford of Havering, PrEP is a "powerful tool in the drive to end HIV transmission," but access has been unequal among those most at risk. Nationally in 2023, women represented 30 per cent of new HIV diagnoses but accounted for only 3.1 per cent of all PrEP users in England, indicating a significant gap in preventative measures distributed across genders. The pilot aims to increase uptake by approximately 60 per cent in participating boroughs, reducing pressure on overburdened sexual health clinics.

Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which supports the initiative, emphasised the importance of investing in prevention despite tight public health budgets. She told The Yellow Advertiser that such pilots show prevention to be "not only lifesaving but also cost-effective," potentially easing the strain on the NHS by averting new HIV infections before they occur. The foundation’s larger strategy seeks to integrate PrEP access into existing NHS frameworks, such as women's health hubs and community organisations, making services more sustainable and scalable across England.

While new HIV cases in north-east London remain among the highest in the UK, the overall rate of new diagnoses in the country dropped by 60 per cent between 2018 and 2021, signalling progress. However, London still registers the highest new HIV diagnosis rate of any English region, with 17.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2023. The London Assembly has highlighted persistent disparities, with rising diagnoses among men who have sex with men (especially ages 15 to 24) and notable increases in HIV-related deaths among both men and women in the city.

Much of the inequality also aligns with ethnicity and geography. Black African communities and other ethnic minorities remain disproportionately affected, and certain London boroughs not included in this pilot—such as Lambeth, Southwark, and Hackney—report soaring rates of various sexually transmitted infections alongside high HIV prevalence. These areas grapple with service pressures, reduced testing coverage, and limited access to sexual health education and prevention tools.

Efforts like the ExPAND-NEL pilot thus represent a critical step in addressing these health disparities head-on by bringing prevention closer to the communities most in need. Councillor Louise Mitchell of Waltham Forest stressed that PrEP is “life-changing” and a key element to not only reducing but eventually eliminating new HIV cases, supporting local missions to ensure equitable health outcomes.

Public health authorities caution that despite promising declines in new infections, HIV stigma and barriers to testing and treatment continue to pose challenges. The pilot’s emphasis on digital and community-integrated services aims to overcome some of these obstacles by offering accessible, culturally-sensitive options that fit diverse lifestyles. Success here could provide a blueprint for national rollout to achieve the UK's goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.yellowad.co.uk/prep-medication-to-be-more-readily-accessible-as-hiv-cases-remain-high-in-north-east-london/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/pilot-schemes-across-england-to-accelerate-access-to-prep-and-reduce-new-hiv-cases/ - The Elton John AIDS Foundation has launched pilot schemes across England to enhance access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and reduce new HIV cases. These initiatives aim to integrate PrEP into existing NHS services, such as women's health hubs and community organisations, to reach underserved communities. The North East London pilot, ExPAND-NEL, plans to provide PrEP to over 3,000 additional residents over 18 months, representing a 60% increase in current PrEP coverage across all seven local authorities through a digital platform paired with community engagement and delivery in non-specialist healthcare settings. The goal is to address inequities, raise awareness, and reach people who might not typically access sexual health clinics. The pilot is championed by local authorities and integrated into the existing NHS architecture, facilitating the development of a sustainable blueprint for PrEP services that is scalable and transferable across the UK.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/london-sti-transmission-boroughs-lambeth-hackney-gonorrhoea-syphilis-sexual-health-b1135989.html - An article from The Standard reveals that the top ten boroughs in England with the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are all in London. Lambeth, Southwark, Hackney, Westminster, and Islington have the highest overall rates of STIs. Lambeth had the highest rate of gonorrhoea in England in 2022, with 1,220 new infections per 100,000 residents, a rise of 19% from the previous year. It also had the highest rate of syphilis transmission, followed by Southwark and Westminster. The overall rate of STI transmission in Lambeth and Southwark is five times the national average. The article also highlights that Lambeth, Hackney, and Southwark have the highest rates of chlamydia, with more than 1,300 cases per 100,000 residents in each borough. Southwark has the highest rate of herpes, with 458 infections per 100,000 people, more than quadruple the figure reported in Richmond Upon Thames. The diagnosis rate for HIV in London fell by a fifth (21%) between 2017 and 2022, but testing coverage among men declined by 3.6% last year. Lambeth and Brent have the lowest levels of coverage for the HPV vaccine among 12-13 year olds. Experts warn that sexual health services in England are 'very close to a crisis,' with clinics forced to ration the amount of free condoms they give out.
https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-press-releases/hiv-health-disparities-london - A press release from the London Assembly discusses HIV health disparities in London. In 2023, London recorded the highest new HIV diagnosis rate of any region in England, standing at 17.2 per 100,000. The UK Health Security Agency’s latest dataset, relating to 2023, also shows that testing in London increased by 8% between 2022 and 2023 (413,755 to 445,655), exceeding 2019 levels (430,853). There was an increase in the number of diagnoses for all age groups among men exposed through sex between men and living in London, except for those aged 65 years and over. The increase was highest among those aged 15 to 24 years (24% increase). The number of late diagnoses declined by 4% amongst those living in London. There was an increase in deaths in London amongst men from 184 to 196 (6.5%) and women from 46 to 59 (28.3%) between 2022 and 2023. Despite progress towards zero-HIV targets, there are existing HIV health disparities amongst particular demographics in London.
https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv/about-hiv/hiv-statistics - The Terrence Higgins Trust provides statistics about HIV in the UK. The most recent UK-wide estimate is that 106,890 people are living with HIV in the UK in 2019. The more recent estimate for England (not the whole UK) is that there were 95,900 people living with HIV in England in 2021. Of these, around 4,400 are undiagnosed and do not know they are HIV positive. 2,692 people were diagnosed with HIV in England in 2021, 218 in Scotland, and 60 in Wales. Anyone can get HIV, but people from some groups or parts of the world are more likely to be affected. In particular, men who have sex with men and Black African people are disproportionately affected. People who inject drugs are also at increased risk of HIV transmission. Of the 2,023 people diagnosed with HIV in England in 2021, 36% were gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. Of the 798 heterosexual people diagnosed with HIV in England in 2021, 37% were of Black African ethnicity. London continues to have the highest rates of HIV in England: 32% of new diagnoses in 2021 were in London residents. In 2021, 28% of people seen for HIV care in England were living in London.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-north-east-annual-data-spotlight/annual-epidemiological-spotlight-on-hiv-in-the-north-east-2021-data - The UK Government provides an annual epidemiological spotlight on HIV in the North East, presenting 2021 data. Nationally, there has been a long-term trend for a decline in the overall number of new diagnoses, although there was a slight upturn in 2021. The new diagnosis rate for North East residents (3 per 100,000) was below that of England in 2021 (5 per 100,000). In 2021, 49% of all new diagnoses in North East residents were in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) (compared to 36% in 2020 and 57% in 2012). The number of GBMSM residents in the North East newly diagnosed with HIV was 46% lower than in 2012. Of the GBMSM newly diagnosed with HIV, 78% were white and 67% were UK-born. Heterosexual contact was the second largest infection route for new diagnoses in North East residents in 2021 (40%). Infections in African-born persons accounted for 42% of all heterosexually-acquired cases in 2021, compared to 33% in 2012. Infections in UK-born persons accounted for 53% of all heterosexually acquired cases in 2021. Injecting drug use accounted for 2% of new diagnoses in North East residents. The black African ethnic group represented 20% of all newly diagnosed North East residents in 2021, compared to 23% in 2020 and 17% in 2012. A small proportion of new diagnoses in 2021 were in the black Caribbean ethnic group (2%). The number of new diagnoses in 2021 was highest in the groups of males aged 25 to 34 years and females aged 35 to 44 years.
https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-work/london-assembly-current-investigations/hiv-london - The London Assembly is investigating HIV in London, focusing on persisting health inequalities among particular demographics, including minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ groups, and examining actions taken by local authorities, NHS England, and the voluntary sector to meet the target of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030. Key issues include a long-term decline in the number of new HIV diagnoses in London; between 2012 and 2021, there was a 67% decrease in new reported HIV diagnoses. However, in 2022, London had the highest proportion of new HIV diagnoses in the UK, with 33.7% of all new diagnoses occurring in the capital. There are increasing HIV disparities between particular groups in London. In 2022, HIV diagnoses in ethnic groups other than white accounted for 40% of all diagnoses, up from 35% in 2021. In 2022, HIV testing was lowest among eligible heterosexual and bisexual women in sexual health services. Stigma surrounding HIV is still prevalent in London and the UK.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative is recent, published on 16 September 2025, and has not appeared elsewhere. The £1 million pilot programme is a new initiative, indicating high freshness.

Quotes check

Score: 10

Notes: The direct quotes from Councillor Gillian Ford, Anne Aslett, and Councillor Louise Mitchell are unique to this report, with no prior online matches found. This suggests original or exclusive content.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from Yellow Advertiser, a local news outlet. While it provides detailed information, its regional focus may limit broader verification.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The claims about the pilot programme's objectives align with known public health goals. The statistics regarding HIV diagnoses and PrEP usage are consistent with existing data. The narrative's tone and language are appropriate for the topic and region.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is recent and original, with unique quotes and plausible claims. The source is a local news outlet, which may limit broader verification, but the content appears credible.

HIV prevention
PrEP
Public health initiative