Stigma in UK health care: a key barrier to reaching zero HIV transmission by 2030.

BACKGROUND

With zero HIV transmission by 2030 firmly on the agenda of the UK Government, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the National Health Service (NHS), and the voluntary sector in the United Kingdom (UK), therefore, the objective of this review is to explore whether this ambitious goal is possible.

METHODS

EBSCO, PubMed, and CHINAL databases were searched using relevant keywords around stigma/stigmatisation in the NHS/UK health care settings. In addition, hand-searching and reference mining were conducted. Data were extracted, synthesised, and presented through a narrative analysis.

RESULTS

Initial searching yielded 68 papers, and six papers were eligible for this review. Thematic methods were used to analyse and synthesise the included studies. The results indicated that people living with HIV continue to express concerns about stigma and discrimination when accessing health care. These issues remain significant barriers to accessing health care services.

CONCLUSION

HIV-related stigma continues to undermine zero HIV transmission ambitions. Until this issue is effectively addressed, achieving the goal of zero HIV transmission by 2030 may remain challenging.