Helping tackle the stigma of living with AIDS

Both cases are real examples of discrimination faced by people living with HIV in the UK. They were referred to the National AIDS Trust, the nation’s HIV rights charity, which is all-too familiar with the stigma that continues to surround the virus.

Hannah Daws, director of fundraising and communication at the National AIDS Trust, said, “Unfortunately, discrimination happens all too regularly and in a multitude of ways. People can have their status made public, for example. We know there is some deliberate discrimination in the workplace, but a lot of the time it comes down to ignorance and the fact people do not understand HIV.”

The Trust is leading the fight against discrimination with its HIV Discrimination Advice Service. It is a helpline staffed by a caseworker who can provide advice and refer callers to specialists such as legal practices or tribunals. The Service – the only one of its kind in the UK – was set up three years ago with the help of National Lottery funding and has been so successful it was recently funded for another three years. “We’re over the moon,” Hannah said.

As well as providing advice, the Trust often contacts companies or organisations it believes are acting in a discriminatory way. “In most cases we’ll get in touch and say, ‘you are wrong’. There is no law requiring anyone to say what their status is.”

About 108,000 people in the UK are living with HIV. Overall, transmissions are falling, but some rises have been observed in groups including young gay men, certain ethnic groups, and women.

Worryingly, discrimination can be found in the health system. Hannah said, “You’ll have someone with HIV admitted to hospital and put in a solitary ward with a sign outside saying, ‘this person has HIV’. Nurses will come in who are double gloving. It’s crazy considering they are the people who should be the most up to date with HIV and understanding the virus. We will usually contact the hospital, clinic or GP practice and put them right.”

As a campaigning organisation, the National AIDS Trust seeks to change the law when necessary. Last year it successfully overturned legislation that prevented same sex couples living with HIV from having fertility treatment. Hannah said, “There was no scientific basis for that [law] whatsoever. It was a homophobic law that hadn’t been challenged.”

The Trust was also successful in getting PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) – a medication that helps prevent HIV infection – available on the NHS. Hannah said, “In 2016 we took the NHS to court because it argued that PrEP was about prevention, not healthcare. We believed it was a healthcare issue because if people get HIV they will become sick and they will need to go to hospital. We won the case on appeal and it’s probably the biggest thing we’ve been able to achieve in this country.”

The UK government has said it wants to eliminate all HIV transmissions in the UK by 2030. Hannah said, “We are lobbying hard to make sure they stick to that goal.”

17th November 2025