METRO joins 20 other leading HIV charities in challenging local candidates to pledge their support for people living with and affected by HIV.
Andrew Evans, METRO Director of Operations, said:
"HIV treatment in the UK is excellent, but we know from the services that we deliver and the people affected by HIV that we support, that not everyone is doing well. We continue to work on prevention, reducing late diagnosis and supporting people coming to terms with a new diagnosis and those living with HIV. Our family support, peer support, counselling, mentoring, outreach and emerging communities services play a vital part in supporting people to live well with HIV."
Services which help people living with HIV manage their condition are facing continued funding cuts. The general election is a crucial opportunity to raise the profile of HIV so please add your voice to our campaign.
We are calling on the next government to:
- Commit to tackling the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV
- Fully fund HIV and sexual health services to meet the needs of local communities
- Recognise the importance of prevention to a sustainable health and social care system by increasing investment in public health services
- Equip schools with the resources they need to ensure that high-quality, age-appropriate, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT)-inclusive sex and relationships education is taught to all young people in all schools*
- Make PrEP available to all individuals at risk of HIV in the UK
- Develop a fair benefits system that meets the needs of people living with HIV whether in or out of work
- Ensure that the health and social care system is equipped to meet the needs of a population ageing with HIV
- The general election is electing MPs to the House of Commons, from across the UK. The House of Commons legislates for health and social care, and education, in England only. The devolved Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland legislate in the areas covered by points two, three, five and seven
Get involved
Help put HIV on the agenda in this election.
- Write to your local candidates, asking them to support our manifesto using NAT's online tool
- You can tweet the manifesto to spread the word – use the hashtag #HIVmanifesto. Below are some tweets you might like to use. You can also take a photo of yourself holding NAT's HIV Pledge Board
- Take it offline: meet with your candidates face-to-face to discuss the points in the manifesto. Go to any local hustings events to do the same. Ask questions to see how committed they are to the HIV manifesto
- Take a look at the manifesto toolkit with details and tips on what questions to ask
Let the campaign know how your local candidates respond by emailing the NAT team.
Suggested tweets
- I've challenged my local MP candidates to support people living with HIV. Join me by sharing the #HIVmanifesto
- HIV is misunderstood and under-funded. Put it back on the agenda this election with the #HIVmanifesto
- I pledge to stand with people affected by HIV this general election – do you? #HIVManifesto
- I’m calling on the next government to stand with people affected by HIV. #HIVManifesto