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<p>NHS workforce statistics show that in November 2023, there were 243 full time equivalent
(FTE) consultants working in the specialty of genito-urinary medicine (GUM) in NHS
trusts and other core organisations in England, and 133 FTE consultants working in
the specialty of community sexual and reproductive health in NHS trusts and other
core organisations in England.</p><p>NHS England is responsible for providing HIV
care and in March 2024 published the NHS England national service specification for
adult specialised services for people living with HIV. Specialised adult inpatient
and outpatient HIV services aim to provide specialist assessment and ongoing management
of HIV, and associated conditions, to support individuals to stay well, remain engaged
in care, and to reduce onward transmission. The services will ensure that outcomes,
wellbeing, and quality of life are maximised, that they are culturally competent,
in recognition of the disproportionate number of people from diverse backgrounds who
access HIV care, and that people are central to decisions about the management of
their health and social care.</p><p>The Department is consulting with NHS England
to reform the funding of specialist training in genito-urinary and HIV care, to increase
the ability of specialists to train and then practice in areas of greatest need. We
are committed to achieving no new HIV transmissions within England by 2030. As part
of the plan, we are investing an additional £20 million for new research, which will
involve an expansion and evaluation of bloodborne virus opt-out testing in 47 additional
emergency departments in areas of England with high HIV prevalence. This is expected
to deliver approximately 1.5 million more HIV tests to help us get people with the
virus into care. The Department is also allocating over £3.5 million to deliver a
National HIV Prevention Programme between 2021 and 2024 to raise awareness of HIV,
sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, and prevention strategies, targeting
populations most at risk of HIV, including young people.</p><p>We continue to support
the delivery of local sexual health services, providing guidance and data through
the UK Health Security Agency and the Department. In March 2023 we published the Integrated
Sexual Health Service Specification to support local authorities in comprehensive
commissioning of services, and providing advice and guidance on managing STIs outbreaks.</p>
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