HIV, PrEP and sexual health access in the United Kingdom

PrEP is provided through publicly funded health services; delivery arrangements differ among the four UK nations. England reported 111,123 people accessing PrEP in 2024. [Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data/hiv-testing-prep-new-hiv-diagnoses-and-care-outcomes-for-people-accessing-hiv-services-2025-report] Lenacapavir for PrEP (Yeytuo) was approved by the MHRA in December 2025, but NICE draft guidance of 9 September 2026 does not recommend it for use in NHS England on cost-effectiveness grounds; the consultation closes on 30 September 2026 and the next committee meeting is scheduled for 3 November 2026. Injectable cabotegravir PrEP was recommended by NICE in October 2025 with a restricted indication for people who cannot use oral PrEP effectively. [Source: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta11638]

England's sexual health services began targeted DoxyPEP provision in 2025 for eligible gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender women; arrangements elsewhere in the UK may differ. [Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/doxypep-monitoring-and-evaluation]

• National framework: Education policy is devolved. England has statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate statutory or curricular frameworks with different content and opt-out rules.
• Interpretation: The status summarizes the verified policy framework; it does not guarantee uniform classroom delivery.

[Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary ; https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/peer ; https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/comprehensive-sexuality-education ; https://www.bzga-whocc.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/BZgA_IPPFEN_ComprehensiveStudyReport_Online.pdf]

• Abortion: In Great Britain, abortion is available up to 24 weeks under statutory grounds and provider authorization. Northern Ireland permits abortion on request through 12 weeks and on specified grounds later.
• Contraception: EPF's 2026 contraception-policy score is 95.8%; the atlas records broad national coverage.
• Interpretation: The status combines legal rules and national policy access; regional availability and individual eligibility may differ.

[Sources: https://abortion-policies.srhr.org/countries/ ; https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/CCInfoEU_A3_EN_2026_FEB22-HiRes.pdf]

• Access rule: Primary care registration and specified public-health services are available without ordinary-residence status; HIV diagnosis and treatment are free, while many hospital services are residence based and chargeable.
• Main barriers: Charging rules, proof requests, fear of data use, language and uncertainty about exemptions can delay secondary care.
• Migration measure: UN DESA estimates 11,845,479 international migrants at mid-year 2024. This is a point-in-time stock, not the number of people who arrived during 2024. The estimate is based on the foreign-born population. Refugee, asylum-seeker or refugee-like population data are incorporated where indicated by UN DESA.
• Origin definition: The origin shares below use country or area of birth for foreign-born estimates and country of citizenship for foreign-citizen estimates. They do not establish a person's nationality, ethnicity, language, reason for migration, legal status, recent-arrival status or undocumented status.
• Measurement basis: Foreign-born population + refugee/asylum adjustments (UN DESA code B R)
• Evidence note: ECDC indicators use 2024 reports: the foreign-born share is calculated only among diagnoses with known origin; late diagnosis is the country-level share with CD4 <350 cells/µL and is not migrant-specific. Data Unavailable means no sufficiently interpretable value was published; a blank is not zero. The status is an editorial comparison of legal entitlement and practical access and does not apply equally to every migrant group.