HIV Prevention England Conference 2015

The conference will aim to:

• Increase involvement and understanding of HIV Prevention England (HPE), including It Starts With Me (ISWM) and National HIV Testing Week (NHTW)
• Share and discuss the latest developments in HIV prevention
• Facilitate the identification, transfer and adoption of good practice

It is hoped that following the conference delegates will:

• Have an increased understanding of and attachment to the HPE programme
• Have an increased understanding of the latest developments and current issues in HIV prevention in England
• Take away at least one new idea for local implementation

Draft Programme

Please note that the conference planning team is working towards the draft programme below. We are in the process of confirming guest speakers and sessions. We hope to finalise these in early 2015. Until then, all sessions are unconfirmed but may assist you in planning which workshops are likely to be of interest.

Time

Programme

09:00

Registration & Coffee

Locations: Registration – Main Entrance (Ground Floor, Euston Road Entrance).
Refreshments – Endsleigh and Bloomsbury Suites (Ground Floor)

09:30

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Location: Main Conference Hall (Ground Floor)

Dr Rosemary Gillespie (Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust)

Welcome, Housekeeping Issues, HPE Achievements and Introduction to the Day

09:45

HIV in England: 2014 Report – Update from Public Health England & Comparison to UNAIDS 90-90-90

Dr Valerie Delpech (Consultant Epidemiologist and Head of National HIV Surveillance, Public Health England)

Comparing the English/UK’s response with UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 treatment target to help end the AIDS epidemic by 2020 – including epidemiology, transmission and treatment cascades (with 10 minutes Q&A).

10:30

National HIV Testing Week

Cary James (Head of Programmes, HIV Prevention England & THT)

A look at the success of National HIV Testing Week, including some of local success stories and the key challenges to increase HIV testing (with 10 minutes Q&A).

10:55

Summary of morning sessions and workshop directions

Cary James (Head of Programmes, HIV Prevention England & THT)

11:00

Refreshment break

Locations: Endsleigh and Bloomsbury Suites (Ground Floor)

11:20

Late Morning Symposia

The workshop topics are derived from the abstracts received from community based organisations and areas of current research. They address some of the real issues facing HIV prevention in England today. Workshops will start with short presentations followed by an interactive group discussions. Each chair will compose a single question about the most pressing issue debated that delegates would like to be presented to the panel for discussion in the main plenary at the end of the day.

1. MSM: Prevention Today

Location:

Chair: Tom Doyle (Chief Executive, MESMAC)
Presenter: Colin Batrouney (Director, Health Promotion, Policy and Communications, Victorian AIDS Council, Australia)
Presenter: Tom Boyt (Health Promotion Practitioner, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Presenter: Parminder Sekhon (Executive Director of Programmes, NAZ Project London)

In recent years our approach to health promotion has had to adapt to significant developments and policy shifts including the introduction of PEP, early treatment, undetectable viral loads and now PrEP. In this new era what is the role of behavioural interventions and how do we need to respond to ensure that health promotion and biomedical interventions go hand in hand and reach all those who need it?

2. PrEP from trial to reality

Location:

Chair: Dr Peter Keogh (School of Health & Social Care, University of Greenwich)
Panellist: Adam Bourne (Sigma)
Panellist: Catherine Dodds (Sigma)
Panellist: Mitzy Gafos (UCL)
Panellist: Justin Harbottle (THT)
Panellist: Will Nutland (Sigma)
Panellist: Charlie Witzel (PROUD Participant)
Panellist: Ingrid Young (University of Glasgow)

Recent findings from the PROUD and IPERGAY study have increased calls for access to PrEP but what would implementation look like and what would the real world use of PrEP be outside of trial conditions? The panel will represent the social science, community activists, and trial participant perspectives to have a rounded discussion on PrEP, its implications and the issues that will affect its implementation.

3.Working in Partnership with Faith Communities

Location:

Chair: Marcy Madzikanda (Health Improvement Specialist, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Presenter: Evangelist Pastor Elizabeth Kalonga (Founder of African Home Traditions)
Presenter: Reverend Charles Kwaku-Odoi (Manchester)
Presenter: Beatrice Nabulya (African Communities Prevention Coordinator, Positive East)

HIV in African communities is a home issue with a higher proportion of African people acquiring HIV in the UK. What role do faith leaders and their communities have in increasing awareness of HIV, discussing sexuality in their communities, increasing testing and reducing late diagnosis and stigma? How can we increase HIV testing in churches and what else can we do in partnership with faith communities?

4. Commissioners: where we have come from and where we are now

Location:

Chair: Celia Fisher (HIV Awareness & Prevention Coordinator, LASS)
Presenter: Paul Elfick (HIV Senior Social Worker, Bucks County Council and Chair, National Network of Local Authority HIV Coordinators)
Presenter: Andrew Pearmin (HIV Consultant Practitioner, Essex County Council)
Presenter: Kat Smithson (Policy & Campaigns Manager, NAT)

Responsibility for HIV prevention now rests with Local Authorities so how is it going? This workshops combines a look back on LAs involvement over the years and how they are coping with their responsibilities now. How much have they spent on HIV prevention? What has been commissioned and who are the services aimed at? The amount spent varies considerably and does not always reflect prevalence rates. How can we redress the imbalance between prevention and treatment costs and what support do councils need?

12:30

Lunch / Networking

Locations: Endsleigh and Bloomsbury Suites (Ground Floor)

12:40

↓

13:20

Halve It lunchtime presentation (Optional)

Location: Small Meeting House (First Floor)

Baroness Gould (Chair)

Introduction to Halve It

• What is Halve It? Campaign’s members, asks, achievements and vision for 2015 and beyond

Dr David Asboe

Mark Santos

Allan Anderson

‘Halve It local’?

• What is it? How will it work? What will it achieve? What can you do?

Baroness Gould and panel

Q&A session with audience

Baroness Gould

• Summary of key points. ‘Call to action’ and Close

13:30

Early Afternoon Symposia

The workshop topics are derived from the abstracts received from community based organisations and areas of current research. They address some of the real issues facing HIV prevention in England today. Workshops will start with short presentations followed by an interactive group discussions. Each chair will compose a single question about the most pressing issue debated that delegates would like to be presented to the panel for discussion in the main plenary at the end of the day.

5. Postal testing & self sampling: successes and challenges

Location:

Chair: Dr Anthony Nardone (Consultant Epidemiologist, HIV/STI Department, Public Health England)
Panellist: Dr Michael Brady (HIV and Sexual Health Consultant, Kings College Hospital and Medical Director, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Panellist: James Derham (Sexual Health Coordinator, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation)
Panellist: Dr Alan McOwan (HIV and Sexual Health Consultant, Dean Street, Chelsea & Westminster)
Panellist: Dr Esther Mugweni (Haus Study Project Manager, University College London)

For some people going to a clinic for an HIV test or taking a test in the community is not an option that they would choose. Postal testing or self sampling has given an additional option. How is it working in different areas and what can be done to increase the availability of this option to people across the country? What lessons can be learnt and applied elsewhere to increase testing in higher risk groups that have not tested before?

6. African Health & Sex Survey

Location:

Chair: Jabulani Chwaula (Programme Manager, HIV Prevention England for BHA)
Presenter: Dr Adam Bourne (Lecturer, Sigma Research London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

In 2013 the African Health and Sex Survey was carried out to understand barriers to and motivations for HIV testing; to assess awareness and understanding of testing options; to understand the extent of condom failure; and to assess the extent of HIV transmission risk behaviours among black African people in England. There were over 1000 responses and over one third had never taken an HIV test. The results outline HIV prevention needs and point to what the limitations are of different prevention and testing options.

7. Gay Men’s Sex Survey

Location:

Chair: Michael Mancinelli (Prevention and Testing Coordinator, GMI Partnership (Positive East))
Presenter: Dr Ford Hickson (Lecturer, Sigma Research London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

The National Gay Men's Sex Survey measured key HIV prevention objectives among men-who-have-sex-with-men in England in 2010 and 2014. This presentation will focus on changes in the uptake and quality of HIV testing over the last four years. Are men who acquire HIV getting diagnosed earlier? Do more men with diagnosed HIV have an undetectable viral load? Are more gay and bisexual men happy with their sex life? Has HIV testing increased, and at what cost?

8. Engaging the African Community

Location:

Chair: Takudzwa Mukiwa (Health Improvement Specialist, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Presenter: Jeni Hirst (Director of Service Development & Delivery, BHA)
Presenter: Mathew Nyashanu (Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health & Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton)
Presenter: Wellington Moyo (Community Development Worker for African Communities, MESMAC)

African communities account for 30% of people accessing HIV treatment but only 1% of the population. Community engagement is a crucial tool to raising awareness and reducing the impact of HIV but what works? Building links across communities is essential but so too is cultural sensitivity so what is already working and what else can be done to reduce stigma and increase awareness?

14:30

Refreshment break

Locations: Endsleigh and Bloomsbury Suites (Ground Floor)

14:45

Late Afternoon Symposia

The workshop topics are derived from the abstracts received from community based organisations and areas of current research. They address some of the real issues facing HIV prevention in England today. Workshops will start with short presentations followed by an interactive group discussions. Each chair will compose a single question about the most pressing issue debated that delegates would like to be presented to the panel for discussion in the main plenary at the end of the day.

9. Sexualised drug use and MSM

Location:

Chair: Roger Pebody (Editor, NAM)
Presenter: Dr Adam Bourne (Lecturer, Sigma Research London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
Presenter: G.J. Melendez-Torres (Departmental Lecturer, Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, University of Oxford)
Presenter: Monty Moncrieff (Chief Executive, London Friend)

Following studies and reports on chemsex how closely aligned is substance use and sexual risk taking? Following the publication of key studies to what extent do research findings reflect front line service experience and how can we best shape our response to meet the needs of clients? What consequences are there for HIV prevention work and how can support be more joined up?

10. Innovation in HIV Testing

Location:

Chair: Marian Wadibia (CEO, NAZ Project London)
Presenter: Matt Barlow (Service Delivery Team Leader , Summit House Support Ltd)
Presenter: Dr Catrin Evans (School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham)
Presenter: Celia Fisher (HIV Awareness & Prevention Coordinator, LASS)

What are the new ways in which we can promote testing? How can we use new partners such as pharmacies and different methods like text messaging to increase HIV testing in groups that would otherwise not come into contact with prevention messages.

11. Innovative Commissioning

Location:

Chair: Michael Bell (Director, MBARC)
Presenter: Prof. Jane Anderson (Lead HIV, Sexual & Reproductive Health, Public Health England)
Presenter: Dr Simon Barton (Chair, CRG for HIV Treatment & Care, NHS England & Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust)
Presenters:Vicky Womack & Sharon Foster (Sexual Health Lead, Office of Public Health, Leeds City Council)

This session will include a look at potential new models of co-production and service user involvement in HIV prevention. We will debate a radical new model for HIV prevention incorporating an infectious disease and assertive, pro-active clinical model. We will also look at recent procurement exercises and how local authorities seek to transform services and embed prevention work alongside treatment services.

12. Innovation Online Prevention Panel

Location:

Chair: Ben Tooke (Senior Community Engagement Officer, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Panellist: Takudzwa Mukiwa (Health Improvement Specialist, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Panellist: Mark Tyson (Community Development Worker, Yorkshire MESMAC)
Panellist: Sam Whalley (Sexual Health Officer, The Lesbian & Gay Foundation)

With new and increasing platforms for people to meet and communicate online our approach to prevention has shifted to online. Promoting testing services including postal kits via Facebook, Twitter,Grindr, Gaydar and other platforms has extended the reach of health promotion in a highly targeted direction. Moving traditional outreach to online using volunteers has worked but are there limits?

15:45

Question and Answer Panel

Location: Main Conference Hall (Ground Floor)

Chair: Dr Rosemary Gillespie (Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust)
Panellist: Prof. Jane Anderson (Lead HIV, Sexual & Reproductive Health, Public Health England)
Panellist: Garry Brough (Patient Rep. HIV CRG & BHIVA Exec. Ctte. Chair, Bloomsbury Patient Network. myHIV, THT)
Panellist: Cary James (Head of Programmes, HIV Prevention England & THT)
Panellist: Cllr Jonathan McShane (London Borough of Hackney)
Panellist: Priscilla Nkwenti (Chief Executive, BHA for Equality)
Panellist: Lisa Power (Independent)

Panel discussion with audience involvement looking at the key issues from the day’s discussions.

16:30

Thanks and Next Steps

Cary James (Head of Programmes, HIV Prevention England & THT)

16:35

Conference Ends

17:00

Evening Reception sponsored by Pasante (Pre-Booking Required)

Location: Ambassadors Hotel Bloomsbury, 12 Upper Woburn Place, London, WC1H 0HX

20:00

Close