At the meeting of Council held on 22^nd October 2015, Members received the following Notice of Motion in relation to HIV testing, which was proposed by Councillor Evans and seconded by Councillor Flewitt (this had been referred to Cabinet in accordance with Standing Order 8.4).

“That this Council:

(i) recognises the importance of local action in co-ordinating and commissioning accessible and effective HIV testing to reach the undiagnosed and reduce the late HIV diagnosis.  107,800 people were living in the United Kingdom with HIV in 2013; 24% were unaware of their status; and 42% of people diagnosed with HIV in 2013 were diagnosed late (with a CD4 count <350mm3).  Late diagnosis impacts on individual health, public health and health budgets;

(ii) recognises that Southend-on-Sea has a high prevalence of HIV (over diagnosed per 1000 residents) and commits to strengthening its own provision of HIV testing services through working with local NHS partners, HIV charities and patient groups;

(iii) recognises that late HIV diagnosis is a Public Health Outcomes Indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework and that, if diagnosed early, put on a clear treatment pathway and guaranteed access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV can expect to have a near normal life expectancy and live healthy and active lives; and

(iv) recognises the volume and quality of public health and local government guidelines and performance indicators designed to support local authority implementation and monitoring of appropriate and effective testing guidelines.

Recognising the weight of evidence in favour of expanding local HIV testing services, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council:

(i) resolves to:

• act to halve the proportion of people diagnosed late with HIV (with a CD4 count <350mm3) in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea by 2020; and

• act to halve the proportion of people living with undiagnosed HIV in the Borough by 2020.

(ii) Further resolves to:

• ensure that rates of late diagnosed HIV are included as an indicator in its Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA); and

• ask the Director for Public Health to provide a report outlining what needs to be done locally in commissioning and provision of services in order to halve the late diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV by 2020.”

Resolved:-

That this is a laudable motion and the Council has an on-going commitment to reduce the rates of late and undiagnosed HIV in Southend-on-Sea and ensure that these are as low as possible. However, in these times of reducing budgets from Central Government and forced cuts to services we offer and the limited data about the downward trajectory, it is not possible to commit to a target to halve the rate by 2020 as that would require significant extra expenditure

Reason for Decision

To respond to the Notice of Motion.

Other Options

None.

Note:- This is an Executive Function.

Eligible for call-in to People Scrutiny Committee

Executive Councillor:- Moyies