A world AIDS Day blog from Fast-Track Cities London Co-Chair Professor Jane Anderson
Professor Jane Anderson Consultant Physician in HIV Medicine, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Co-Chair, London Fast-Track Cities Initiative
Marking World AIDS Day is always a time of mixed emotions.
It gives time and space to remember all those we have lost to the HIV pandemic whilst at the same time, celebrating the strides that have been made – building on the legacy of those who have gone before us. This World AIDS Day, we reflect on a year of progress, collaboration, and dedication to our international, national and London-wide ambition to see an end to HIV transmissions, HIV-related stigma and preventable deaths from HIV whilst securing best quality of life for all those living with HIV. The many organisations and individuals that make up the London Fast-Track Cities partnership have been fostering collaboration and driving innovation to reach these ambitious targets.
Who We Are
Fast-Track Cities London is a partnership of organisations involved in the HIV response across our city. Partners include people living with HIV, the voluntary sector, specialist HIV clinicians, primary care practitioners, The Mayor of London, NHS England, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), The London Councils and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). Together, we work to:
- End new HIV infections in the capital.
- Eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
- Stop preventable deaths from HIV-related causes.
- Improve the health, quality of life, and well-being of people living with HIV across the city.
A Year of Impact: Some of the highlights of 2024
Getting to Zero Collaborative – Peer Support in HIV Clinics
We know that including lived experience expertise and peer support within HIV clinical pathways has a major impact on the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV. Building on our earlier work, 2024 saw the Getting to Zero Collaborative, a pan London programme to embed peer support into all HIV clinical services, get underway.
Workshops with key stakeholders explored how care pathways could be optimised, considered approaches to the creation of robust metrics for HIV associated stigma and quality of life, and ways to foster innovation. Almost all of London’s HIV clinics now have peer support workers embedded in their teams, providing well-being support, signposting to care and services outside the NHS and monitoring quality of life, while aiming to keep people in care and treatment alongside the clinical teams. Our work was highlighted at the National HIV Nurses Association Conference in Liverpool and by raising awareness nationally, we aim to inspire further integration of peer support services.
Addressing HIV Stigma Globally and Locally
The HIV Confident Charter Mark and the HIV Ambassadors programme are designed to tackle HIV associated stigma at all levels. 2024 has seen flagship organisations, including NHS Hospital Trusts, Local Authorities and GP Practices sign up to the HIV Confident Charter Mark programme. At the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference in Munich, Fast-Track Cities London delivered a workshop on combating HIV stigma, featuring peer-led programs such as the Empowerment Programme and Hearts and Minds Training. We marked the second annual International Zero HIV Stigma Day in July, showcasing the transformative work of HIV Ambassadors, who shared personal journeys to challenge stigma and inspire change.
Fast-Track Cities GP Champions
Across London, 2024 saw the implementation of a pilot project of sixteen HIV specific ‘GP Champions’ who worked alongside primary care colleagues. Their role was to engage with local practices, sharing information and expertise around HIV whilst demonstrating the power of community-driven healthcare initiatives.
Fast-Track Cities London GP champion Dr Gaj Sivadhas of Stovell House Surgery in Croydon, is spearheading ‘Project Red Ribbon’, a project aimed at ensuring stigma-free services for people living with HIV. Coordinated by the Croydon Training Hub in collaboration with the National AIDS Trust, 70% of GP practices in Croydon have now signed up to the HIV Confident Charter Mark. In November alone, twenty GP practices joined the first wave of the NHS roll-out of the HIV Confident Charter Mark.
Integrating HIV Testing into Colposcopy Services
HIV is associated with precancerous changes in the cervix which are investigated by colposcopy. However, HIV testing is not a routine investigation in colposcopy settings. Fast-Track Cities London has piloted and evaluated a ground-breaking initiative to integrate HIV testing into colposcopy services to address this gap in testing.
Results indicate strong patient support, with 71% of participants endorsing testing in colposcopy settings. Key recommendations include enhancing staff training, embedding testing into patient records, and offering in-clinic testing for all attendees. The findings were presented at the international Fast-Track Cities conference in Paris.
PreExposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Despite all the evidence for PrEP as a key tool in preventing new HIV infections – we know it is not yet within the reach of everyone who could benefit from it. The Fast Track Cities Initiative supported a Task and Finish Group to work through possible options to increase PrEP access and uptake. This has culminated in Fast Track Cities London joining up with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to form a PrEP partnership which will pilot interventions for outreach into communities. This will happen in London and across the country, in collaboration with a range of partners and people living with HIV.
Supporting Housing and Immigration Services
Inadequate housing and structural difficulties faced by people migrating to England have profound implications for HIV prevention, treatment and care. To find ways to tackle these issues, we have called for pilot projects that will enhance housing and immigration services for people living with HIV, aligning with our 2021 Evolving HIV Care recommendations. We hope to start this work early in 2025.
Contributing to the AIDS Memorial
During 2024, partnered organisations launched a call for artists to submit proposals for a national AIDS Memorial that will have its home in London’s Store Street. London’s Fast-Track Cities Initiative was invited to help select the winning artist. Anya Gallaccio won the commission, with a proposal based on tree imagery designed to invite visitors to interact and engage with the memorial. AIDS Memorial UK is now working to secure the funding needed to turn the proposal into to reality.
Collaboration with Amsterdam Fast-Track Cities
The Fast-Track Cities London leadership group has been meeting with the Amsterdam team to look at how both cities most likely to get to zero new transmission of HIV can work together sharing resources, ideas and best practice over the coming years. A wide range of professionals visited the Amsterdam team and were given a tour of specialist clincis including a sex worker clinic near the Amsterdam red light district and the state of the art sexual health clinic. Both teams will be continuing to colleaborate in 2025, looking at what zero really means and what our cities will look like in 2030 for people living with HIV.
A Delegation from Poland: World Health Organisation Visit London on HIV Study Tour
In November, a delegation of high level health officials and professionals from Poland, accompanied by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, embarked on a three-day HIV study tour in London. Fast-Track Cities London supported the visit, identifying examples of best practice and innovative approaches to HIV care across London, arranging meetings with leaders across the HIV response and facilitating exchanges of knowledge and expertise. The positive and productive discussions underscored the value of international cooperation in shaping a better future for HIV prevention and care.
Celebrating Pride and Advancing Equality
In June, The Fast Track Cities Initiative, alongside Positively UK, took part in the Pride in London Parade, celebrating the progress made in LGBTQI+ rights while acknowledging the challenges that remain. As Professor Kevin Fenton, Co-Chair of Fast-Track Cities London, stated, “Pride is a time to celebrate the richness, diversity, and joy of our community.”
Looking Ahead
As 2024 comes to a close we are incredibly proud of what has been achieved in London through partnership and collaborative working. Despite the significant challenges ahead – our collective ambitions are within our grasp. We must keep a laser focus on our objectives, double down on our advocacy to keep HIV high on the agenda and maximise our expertise and collective energy by collaborating and working together. The progress we are making shows what’s possible when communities, organisations, and individuals come together with a shared vision.
Please stay connected to our partnership by:
- Signing up for the London Fast Track Cities newsletter at fasttrackcities.london.
- Following London Fast Track Cities on social media for updates on upcoming initiatives and events.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Professor Jane Anderson CBE; FRCP; PhD
Jane Anderson, Co-Chair of London’s Fast-Track Cities Leadership Group, is a Consultant Physician in HIV Medicine at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Hackney, East London.
Jane studied and has spent her working life in London. She qualified in Medicine from St Mary’s Hospital Paddington and in 1990 was appointed senior lecturer at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College where she established a dedicated HIV service before transferring to Homerton Hospital in 2004 to set up and direct the Centre for the Study of Sexual Health and HIV.
Jane’s work has focused on the needs of ethnic minority and migrant populations in relation to HIV in the UK, with a particular interest in care for women and families. She holds honorary academic appointments at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and at University College London.
Jane is Chair of both the National AIDS Trust and of Paintings in Hospitals. Jane was appointed CBE in 2015.