BHA Liverpool Newsletter January – March 2026

National HIV Testing Week 2026

• Took part in the national campaign to encourage regular HIV testing.
• Focused outreach on ethnically minoritised communities, who are disproportionately affected by HIV.
• Testing and engagement activities took place across multiple community settings in Liverpool.
• Worked in partnership with HIV Prevention England through the “I TEST” campaign.
• Used social media, campaign resources, and branded materials to amplify awareness.
• Emphasised that testing is essential to achieving the goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Community Outreach and Testing Activity

• Delivered free HIV testing, STI screening, condoms, and sexual health advice during outreach sessions.
• Outreach locations included:
  • Student accommodation sites.
  • Churches and community centres.
• Collaborated with NHS partners who provided wider health checks via a mobile health service.
• Provided translated resources to improve accessibility for diverse communities.
• Reinforced messages around personal health ownership and early testing.

HIV and STI Testing Services

• Offered free, private, and discreet HIV and STI testing appointments at two locations.
• Provided regular bookable appointments every Monday.
• Delivered walk-in testing sessions on the first and third Monday of each month.
• Ensured that all services were free and accessible without referral.

PrEP Pathways Project

• Continued delivery of the PrEP Pathways Project, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
• Aimed to co-design new pathways to improve access to PrEP.
• Focused specifically on:
  • Women.
  • Asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant communities.
• Ran consultation workshops with five community organisations to gather lived-experience insight.
• Used workshop feedback to inform more inclusive and accessible PrEP services.
• Promoted awareness that PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV when taken correctly.

Click and Collect Sexual Health Resources

• Offered a click-and-collect service for condoms and STI testing kits.
• Collection point based at a community centre in Liverpool.
• Continued to provide free condoms and lubricant delivered discreetly.

Award Recognition: Break the Taboo Campaign

• Highly commended at the BPLS Inspire Awards.
• The “Break the Taboo: HIV & Anal Health” campaign was delivered in collaboration with Intent Health.
• Campaign focused on:
  • Raising awareness of anal cancer.
  • Highlighting increased risk for people living with HIV.
  • Addressing evidence that Black patients are more likely to receive late diagnoses, leading to poorer outcomes.
• Aimed to challenge stigma and improve health outcomes through education and awareness.

Fast Track Cities+ Commitment

• Joined city-wide partners in signing the Liverpool Fast Track Cities+ commitment.
• Pledge includes aims to:
  • End new HIV transmissions and AIDS-related deaths by 2030.
  • End new Hepatitis B and C transmissions by 2030.
  • Achieve a 90% reduction in tuberculosis incidence by 2035.
  • Eliminate stigma and discrimination related to HIV, hepatitis, and TB.
• Reaffirmed a commitment to community-led, culturally informed, and equitable health work.

Upcoming Events and Activity

• Participation in the national sexual health conference in April 2026.
  • Delivering a session on reaching Black men.
  • Co-chairing a session focused on accessibility in healthcare.
• Planned menopause session for Black women at a community venue in May.
• Attendance at a healthcare conference exploring improved services for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.