A 29% increase in HIV testing in south London, 2,025 professionals trained, and a place in the National HIV Action Plan
| Outcomes at a glance |
|---|
| Outcomes |
| • 29% increase in HIV testing in south London, from 7,910 tests in 2023 to 10,232 in 2024, driven by GP Champions placing routine opt-out testing at the centre of primary care |
| • 56% increase in statin prescribing for people living with HIV in City and Hackney; seven practices in Islington offered statins to 150 eligible patients, with approximately one-third starting treatment for the first time |
| • The GP Champions model featured as a key case study in the National HIV Action Plan (1 December 2025), informing primary care actions at national level |
| Reach and delivery |
| • Over 2,025 primary care professionals across London trained in HIV awareness and stigma reduction |
The challenge
Across London, HIV care has historically been fragmented across services. People with HIV face missed testing opportunities, ongoing stigma within healthcare settings, and inconsistent support as they age. Primary care plays a crucial role in early diagnosis, prevention, and long-term management of HIV, but too often that role has been underdeveloped and disconnected from specialist HIV services.
London is part of Fast-Track Cities, a global initiative to achieve zero new HIV transmissions, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero HIV-related stigma by 2030. Fast-Track Cities London is convened by a small central team hosted by TPHC. Without better integration of primary and secondary care, people living with HIV receive disjointed, reactive care rather than the preventive, coordinated support they need. The GP Champions initiative was designed to address this directly.
Our approach
From January 2024 to March 2025, Fast-Track Cities London developed and managed the GP Champions model, placing 16 GP Champions across London’s five Integrated Care Systems. Each worked closely with a local HIV consultant and voluntary and community organisations to lead locally tailored initiatives improving HIV testing, prevention, and long-term care within primary care.
The model was deliberately built on distributed leadership: rather than imposing top-down targets, GP Champions were trusted to draw on their own clinical judgement and local knowledge to pursue the programme’s four objectives. This gave Champions the autonomy to adapt their approach to local needs. Some focused on EMIS alert systems to prompt opt-out testing. Others ran educational outreach events, developed shared care pilots with secondary care teams, or worked with pharmacists on statin prescribing. The running costs for the 15-month period were £275,000, including project support and small grants for targeted local projects.
Alongside delivery, Fast-Track Cities London commissioned an independent qualitative evaluation of the pilot from researchers at King’s Business School, King’s College London, who conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with GP Champions, HIV consultants, and programme managers. The evaluation provides an independently authored, evidence-based assessment of the programme’s implementation, impact, and sustainability.
The impact
HIV testing increased by 29% in south London, from 7,910 tests in 2023 to 10,232 in 2024. Pop-up alerts in Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham during National HIV Testing Week prompted GPs to offer opt-out tests when ordering blood tests, spiking HIV testing from a baseline of 4% to 13.5%. The improvement has been sustained above the original baseline, and at least three people living with HIV were identified through this approach. Over 500 men were tested for HIV in homeless health services in north east London through community testing events.
Over 2,025 primary care professionals across London received HIV stigma-focused teaching sessions. The HIV Confident Charter, which aims to increase staff knowledge and reduce stigma in NHS organisations, now has over 100 organisations signed up across London. In North Central London, the training had measurable impact:
| Trainees in North Central London |
|---|
| 82% of trainees felt more confident discussing HIV testing |
| 78% committed to improving testing practices |
| 100% said they had learned more about HIV |
Statin prescribing for people living with HIV aged over 40 increased by 56% in City and Hackney following GP-led initiatives aligned with British HIV Association guidance. Seven practices in Islington offered statins to 150 people living with HIV, with one-third of those eligible successfully starting treatment for the first time.
Three GP Champions presented insights from the pilot at the BHIVA Spring Conference 2025. The programme is now a key case study in the National HIV Action Plan, released on 1 December 2025, with its findings and recommendations informing how primary care is expected to deliver HIV care nationally.
The independent evaluation by King’s College London concluded that the GP Champions pilot successfully met its original objectives, with particular strengths in building relationships between primary and secondary care, increasing testing, and reducing stigma. It identified five recommendations for sustaining and scaling the model: extending and funding the programme; funding HIV consultant involvement; developing shared pan-London metrics; providing local incentives; and reframing HIV as a long-term condition to enable better integration into routine primary care.
What our clients say
“The GP Champions model was designed to empower primary care professionals to lead this change: reducing stigma, normalising HIV conversations, and improving earlier diagnosis and access to care across our communities. This pilot has laid a strong foundation for expanding the role of general practice in achieving the goals of the Fast-Track Cities initiative.”
Dr Aneesha Noonan, GP and Regional Medical Director for Commissioning, NHS England London (from the foreword to the King’s College London evaluation, September 2025)
“This holistic approach has improved HIV care by integrating treatment in a way which we hope will be replicated across other parts of the country.”
Professor Yvonne Gilleece, Chair, British HIV Association (BHIVA)
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