Agenda item

The mover and seconder accepted an amendment which had been received

prior to the previous days 5pm deadline. The amended motion was moved by

Councillor Alan Hall and seconded by Councillor Liz Johnston-Franklin.

Following a contribution from Councillor Chris Best, the motion was put to the

vote and declared to be unanimously carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“The National Aids Trust have said that for three decades, the UK has been a world leader when it comes to HIV, leading the way with public awareness and harm reduction campaigns since the 1980s. The care the NHS provides to people living with HIV is second-to-none, with 94% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression. Today someone diagnosed with HIV in the UK can expect a near-normal life expectancy.

But HIV is not over. Over 100,000 people in the UK will live with HIV for the rest of their lives. Recent reports of a decrease in new diagnoses among gay men in some London clinics are hugely welcome, but have not yet been replicated elsewhere and follow a decade of high and sustained rates of transmission. HIV continues to disproportionately affect certain communities, including gay and bisexual men and people in black and minority ethnic groups. In the past two years, there has also been rapid disinvestment in both HIV prevention and support services. And HIV-related stigma and discrimination are still present every day, in all areas of life. The London Borough of Lewisham has some of the highest rates in Europe.

Lewisham Council Notes:

The number of STI diagnoses in MSM has risen sharply in England in recent years and this is also the case in Lewisham, with the number of cases of new infections more than doubling between 2011 and 2015

It is estimated that around 25% of the UK’s HIV+ population live in Lewisham

Lambeth & Southwark. There were around 100 new HIV diagnoses in

Lewisham in 2015. The diagnosed HIV prevalence was 8.3 per 1,000

population aged 15-59 years (compared to 2.26 per 1,000 in England). This is

up from 7.9 per 1,000 which is recorded in our Joint Strategic Needs

Assessment (JSNA), where we were rated 8th in the country for prevalence.

There are around 1,660 people in Lewisham living with HIV accessing HIV

services, of these around 40% probably acquired their infection through sex

between men, and 55% through heterosexual sex.

In 2015/16 there were just under 15,000 male and around 29,300 female first

attendances in sexual health clinics by Lewisham residents. (The figure for

women is significantly higher than for men, as women access clinics for

contraception as well as for sexually transmitted infection screening and

treatment). Of the men attending 32% identified as gay and 2% as bisexual

and 66% heterosexual. Of the women attending 0.4% identified as lesbian,

and 0.74% bisexual and circa 98% heterosexual.

In the 2015 Lewisham Residents Survey, 4% of respondents identified

themselves as Lesbian Gay or Bisexual (LGB). Nationally the ONS estimates

that in the same year, 1.7% of the UK population identified themselves as

LGB. Both of these reports methodologies note the high likelihood of under-

declaration of sexual orientation on these surveys.

Overall around 32% of Lewisham residents accessing sexual health services

do so outside of the borough. Central London clinics are more likely to be

accessed by men who have sex with men than heterosexual men and

women. Costs of accessing services out of Borough are significantly higher

than accessing in-borough services, these costs are recharged however

locally.

Lewisham Council resolves to:

•           End the growth of the epidemic: we have the tools we need, now we

must ensure the political will and investment to stop HIV in its tracks.

•           End ignorance about HIV: we know how and what to teach people, now

we need to ensure that every child in every school learns what they need to

protect themselves.

•           End stigma and discrimination: the laws are in place but now we must

implement them and ensure we all have access to justice.

•           End the link between HIV and poverty: we know having HIV means you

are more likely to live in poverty, now we must tackle the causes of poverty.

•           End seeing the virus not the person: we need to ensure that support is

provided for all people with HIV to live full and happy lives.

•           End the disproportionate impact of HIV on some communities: no one

should be at increased risk of HIV because of where they are from or who

they have sex with.

Furthermore, the Council requests that the Director of Public Health write to

all Members of the Council explaining how this will be achieved and to task

the Public Health Team with carrying out a review, including where

appropriate focus groups with key communities, to ascertain why so many

choose to access services out of Borough, and for an action plan to be

generated to help LBL, and where appropriate NHS partners, improve

services to better meet needs.”