4. To ask the First Minister, in light of the launch of Scotland’s new HIV anti-stigma campaign in partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust, what action the Scottish Government is taking to eliminate new transmissions of HIV. (S6F-02449)

We are delighted to partner with the Terrence Higgins Trust and other HIV stakeholders in this important anti-stigma campaign. Tackling stigma is one of the many ways to address HIV transmission in Scotland by reducing barriers to testing and treatment, as well as improving the lives of people living with HIV.

We remain committed to eliminating HIV transmission in Scotland by 2030. Our HIV transmission elimination delivery plan, developed by the deputy chief medical officer and stakeholders, will prioritise the recommendations for HIV elimination that we published last year. Our aim is to publish that plan in the coming months.

Stigma often presents a barrier to people accessing HIV testing, and this anti-stigma campaign is an exciting milestone in Scotland’s mission to improve the lives of those living with HIV and update public attitudes. A first of its type in the UK, the campaign will reflect the realities of living with HIV in Scotland today, where, if an individual is on the right treatment, they can live a long, happy and healthy life and cannot pass the virus on to others. Does the First Minister agree that tackling stigma around HIV will help Scotland reach zero new transmissions of the virus and improve and save lives?

The First Minister:

I absolutely agree with Clare Haughey on that point. Tackling stigma is fundamental to achieving our HIV transmission elimination goal by 2030

. The campaign that Clare Haughey referenced in her original question is just one way of addressing that stigma. We are also working with NHS Education Scotland to produce training materials for non-HIV specialists in the NHS to improve the detection and diagnosis of HIV. We are also working with Waverley Care to support the fast-track cities Scotland initiative, which provides stigma-related training activities for the health and social care workforce.

Almost half of the population in Scotland would be ashamed to tell other people that they were HIV positive, so work is still very much required to challenge misconceptions while also improving access to testing, preventative treatment and support for people living with HIV. Those points will be prioritised in our HIV transmission elimination delivery plan.

This new partnership is welcome. We must do all that we can to eliminate new transmissions of HIV. I therefore ask the First Minister for a progress update on commitments made by the Scottish Government on world AIDS day 2022, including the pilot of an ePrEP clinic, which would act as an important and significant step towards ending stigma and giving people greater control over their own healthcare.

The First Minister:

I will ensure that we write to Carol Mochan with full details of an update, but Scotland has been world leading in the implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis—PrEP—since the introduction of our programme in 2017. We have to recognise t hat PrEP has to be as accessible as possible for those who require it in communities up and down Scotland. That point is well made by Carol Mochan.

Work is very much under way to pilot the online PrEP clinic: £400,000 of funding has been provided for the development of the project, which is currently in the important development stage and on track to be taken forward during 2024 and beyond. I will ensure that a fuller update is provided to Carol Mochan.