Official Statistics

Quality and methodology information for the UK HIV data release

Updated 15 April 2026

About this report

This report outlines the quality and methodology information (QMI) relevant to the HIV official statistics published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

This QMI report helps users understand the strengths and limitations of these statistics, ensuring UKHSA is compliant with the quality standards stated in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The report explains:

1. The strengths and limitations of the data used to produce the statistics.
2. The methods used to produce the statistics.
3. The quality of the statistical outputs.

About the statistics

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that targets and damages specific white blood cells known as CD4 cells in the immune system. HIV can be transmitted via sex (through sex between men, sex between men and women, but not sex between women), sharing injecting equipment, blood (including perinatally from mother to child), blood products and breastmilk.

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) reduces the amount of virus circulating in the body to undetectable levels ensuring that the virus cannot replicate and cause immunological damage. People who are supported to adhere to treatment can lead long healthy lives and cannot pass on HIV through sex.

Progress in ensuring that people stay HIV negative (for example, HIV prevention campaigns, condoms, HIV testing, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and are aware of their HIV status and rapidly treated have resulted in a steady decrease in the number of people newly diagnosed and the number living with undiagnosed HIV.

Current British HIV Association (BHIVA) standards of care recommend that people living with HIV are seen for HIV care at least once per year, usually in HIV outpatient services, to ensure they treated with no complications, and have low levels of virus in their blood.

This report presents data on:

• HIV testing
• HIV PrEP
• HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
• new HIV diagnoses
• late diagnoses
• HIV treatment
• care outcomes for people accessing HIV services

Geographical coverage:

• England for HIV testing, HIV PrEP and HIV PEP
• UK for other areas

Publication frequency: annual

Changes to this document

15 April 2026: QMI report first published.

Contact

Lead analyst: Dr Veronique Martin

Contact information:

• HARSQueries@ukhsa.gov.uk
• hivtesting@ukhsa.gov.uk
• gumcad@ukhsa.gov.uk

Suitable data sources

Statistics should be based on the most appropriate data to meet intended uses. This section describes the data used to produce the statistics.

A number of specific data sources are used for the HIV official statistics including the GUMCAD STI Surveillance System for HIV testing, PrEP and PEP and the HIV surveillance systems for HIV diagnoses, specialist HIV attendances and deaths among people living with HIV.

HIV is not a notifiable disease, and reporting of diagnoses, attendances at HIV specialist services and deaths among people living with HIV using HIV surveillance systems is not mandatory in England but it is mandatory for commissioning purposes, as specified in the Department of Health and Social Care’s sexual health service (SHS) specification and the NHS England service specifications for adult specialised services for people living with HIV.

In combination, the data from GUMCAD together with the HIV surveillance systems provides a comprehensive picture of HIV prevention and care service provision and diagnosis trends in the United Kingdom and England. These systems are detailed below.

GUMCAD

The GUMCAD STI Surveillance System was established in 2008 as an electronic system for collecting pseudonymised, individual-level data from sexual health services (SHSs) in England. The source data is based on the GUMCAD specification published in 2019 (commonly referred to as ‘GUMCADv3’).

The data set includes:

• sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests and diagnoses (including HIV tests and diagnoses)
• demographic information (including gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and country of birth)
• sexual behaviour data (including the number of sex partners)
• outcomes of partner notification and management
• provision of HIV PrEP and PEP

Services reporting to GUMCAD

The following SHSs in England submit data to UKHSA on a quarterly basis:

• specialist (Level 3) and non-specialist (Level 2) SHSs providing STI-related care – these may also offer integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services
• online services delivering non-specialist (Level 2) STI care

Details on SHS service levels are available in Appendix B of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)’s standards for the management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Further information on GUMCAD’s quality and methodology is available on QMI report for the STIs and National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) data release for England.

All local authority commissioned SHSs in England report data on HIV tests, diagnoses, PrEP, and PEP to UKHSA via GUMCAD. The data set includes both face-to-face attendances and remote consultations (telephone and online) and is pseudonymised and depersonalised, ensuring individuals cannot be identified. While clinic identifiers allow tracking of individuals within the same SHS over time, it is not possible to link individuals across different SHSs.

HIV and AIDS Reporting System

The HIV and AIDS Reporting System (HARS) comprises of several components, including HARS, HIV and AIDS New Diagnoses Database (HANDD), and CD4 surveillance.

Services reporting to HARS

The following services report to HARS:

• all adult HIV specialist services in England report directly to UKHSA on a quarterly basis
• paediatric HIV clinics in England report annually via the Children’s HIV and AIDS Reporting System (CHARS)
• HIV clinics in the devolved nations report indirectly through their respective public health agencies

More information about HARS is available online.

HARS data set overview

HARS is a consultation-based, disaggregated data set that captures details of outpatient HIV clinic attendances across the UK. It includes:

• quarterly data from all adult outpatient HIV services in England, covering every attendance from diagnosis onwards, including demographics, service use, diagnoses, treatments, clinical markers, co-morbidities, and deaths
• annual data summarising the most recent HIV appointment for each person living with HIV, including demographic and clinical information
• data from Northern Ireland and Wales submitted in Survey of Prevalent HIV Infections Diagnosed (SOPHID) format
• annual data from Scotland via a bespoke submission, including demographics, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical markers
• data on individuals aged 14 years and under (or sometimes older if still attending paediatric services) collected via CHARS on behalf of NHS England and devolved public health agencies

HANDD 

HANDD is a person-based, disaggregated data set that compiles epidemiological, demographic, and clinical information on:

• all new HIV diagnoses
• first diagnoses of AIDS-defining conditions
• deaths among people living with HIV in the UK

Data sources for HANDD

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, voluntary reports are submitted by laboratories, SHSs, general practices, and other HIV testing services. The data set is supplemented by:

• new HIV diagnoses, AIDS-defining conditions and deaths from clinic reports
• paediatric HIV diagnoses reported via CHARS (aged 14 years and under)
• death reports from the National HIV Mortality Review (NHMR), direct submissions and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality data
• CD4 surveillance system
• Recent HIV Infection Testing Algorithm (RITA) programme
• emergency department opt-out HIV testing data

This data supports understanding of HIV transmission patterns and monitoring of HIV exposure.

Services reporting to HANDD

The following services report to HANDD:

• all adult HIV specialist services in England report directly to UKHSA quarterly
• paediatric HIV clinics in England report annually via CHARS
• HIV clinics in the devolved nations report via their respective public health agencies

Data quality

The data that we use to produce official statistics must be of a good quality and fit for purpose, as it is used to inform commissioning of services, influence policy and practice and it supports effective decision making.

We have assessed the quality of the source data against the data quality dimensions in the Government Data Quality Framework.

This assessment covers the quality of the data that was used to produce the statistics, not the quality of the final statistical outputs. The Quality summary section below explains the quality of the final statistical outputs.

Strengths of the data

The following strengths have been identified in the GUMCAD, HARS, and HANDD data sets.

Comprehensive coverage

Reporting to UKHSA is mandatory for GUMCAD and HIV surveillance data is comprehensive (due to the use for commissioning) in England, providing a robust and complete information on HIV testing, diagnoses, deaths, and care.

Timeliness

Data submissions occur quarterly, enabling timely monitoring of HIV-related indicators.

Retrospective updates

Reporters can retrospectively update submissions, improving data completeness, accuracy, and overall quality over time.

Geographical detail

Data includes depersonalised geographical information on both the location of service provision and the area of residence of individuals.

Built-in validation

Automated validation rules at the point of submission ensure that mandatory fields are completed correctly.

Quality assurance

Quarterly reviews and annual checks are conducted, particularly for official statistics releases and these allow reporters to amend data sets and rectify identified issues.

Limitations of the data

Despite the strengths, several limitations exist.

Overall, GUMCAD, HARS, and HANDD remain the most appropriate sources for HIV statistics in England due to their design and validation processes.

Limited scope of GUMCAD

HIV testing data from GUMCAD only includes SHS commissioned by local authorities in England. It excludes testing in other settings such as general practice, secondary care, private providers, and services in devolved nations.

Depersonalisation and linkage challenges

GUMCAD data is depersonalised, preventing linkage between individuals across data sets or services.

While linkage between individuals within HARS or HANDD (and between these 2 databases) is possible, it is complex and may result in mismatches. These mismatches are addressed through annual audits.

Exclusion of private providers

None of the data sets capture data from private providers of HIV prevention, testing or care.

Potential reporting errors

Miscoding by reporters may lead to slight over- or under-reporting of HIV testing, HIV PrEP, and HIV PEP activity. UKHSA mitigates this through annual data quality workshops with regional Sexual Health Facilitators.

Accuracy

Accuracy refers to how well the data reflects real-world events, including demographic and clinical details.

UKHSA enforces data validation rules at submission and conducts regular reviews to ensure consistency. Anomalies are investigated and corrected through direct engagement with data reporters.

Responsibility for accuracy

While UKHSA applies automated checks, ultimate responsibility lies with data submitters and service providers.

Clinician coding

HIV testing uptake and refusal rates depend on accurate coding by clinicians.

HIV PrEP need estimation

Proxy measures of being at increased risk of HIV are used, in combination with clinician reported codes of being eligible for HIV PrEP, to estimate PrEP need but the eligibility codes are under-reported by clinicians. Different proxy measures are used in heterosexual people and gay and bisexual men, and ascertainment of these measures is better in gay and bisexual men because, in line with British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) guideline on the sexual health care of men who have sex with men, they attend SHSs at a greater frequency than heterosexuals.

HIV PrEP need is therefore likely to be underestimated in heterosexual people and overestimated in gay and bisexual men. As a result, the difference in PrEP need between gay and bisexual men and heterosexuals is very likely to be overestimated.

Lastly, estimates of HIV PrEP need using GUMCAD data cannot be used to infer PrEP need among people who do not attend SHSs.

Overestimation of unique individuals

When reporting the number of individuals as the unit of analysis and reporting (rather than attendances or tests), figures may be inflated due to inability to link individuals across clinics. This is likely to be up to a maximum of 10%.

Completeness

Completeness refers to the extent to which all required records and fields are present.

Mandatory fields

GUMCAD contains only mandatory fields, while HARS and HANDD include both mandatory and optional fields. Mandatory fields must be completed for data submission.

Incomplete data

Fields marked as ‘not known’ or ‘not specified’ are considered incomplete.

Annual updates

Data is updated annually to reflect resubmissions and improvements in data cleaning, which may result in differences from previous publications.

Data quality trends for GUMCAD

Tables A1 to A3 present trends in demographic data completeness for GUMCAD showing the percentage of records with specified values (excluding ‘not known’ or ‘not specified’) by year.

Further information on trends in key demographic data quality for GUMCAD are available in the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

Table A1. Number of GUMCAD consultations at SHSs in England and percentage of demographic data completeness for HIV testing statistics, 2020 to 2024

Demographic variable	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of people tested	927,251	1,056,097	1,182,568	1,277,723	1,318,795
Gender	98.5%	96.9%	95.6%	96.2%	96.1
Age	100%	100%	100%	100%	100.0
Sexual orientation	90.1%	85.9%	85.8%	86.2%	85.5
Ethnicity	86.9%	88.7%	90.5%	92.7%	93.5
Country of birth	69.9%	70.1%	78.8%	89.6%	89.3

Table A2. Number of GUMCAD consultations at SHSs in England and percentage of demographic data completeness for HIV PrEP statistics, 2021 to 2024 [note 1]

Demographic variable	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of HIV negative attendees at Level 3 services	1,182,245	1,258,905	1,332,516	1,379,884
Gender	92.3%	90.1%	92.7%	93.0%
Age	100%	100%	100%	100%
Sexual orientation	83.6%	80.4%	83.1%	83.2%
Ethnicity	89.8%	89.7%	91.4%	92.7%
Country of birth	86.5%	87.4%	88.5%	85.4%

Note 1: reporting of HIV PrEP started in 2021.

Table A3. Number of GUMCAD consultations at SHSs in England and percentage of demographic data completeness for HIV PEP statistics, 2020 to 2024

Demographic variable	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of consultations	7,223	8,136	8,707	8,103	8,463
Gender	97.4%	95.7%	94.9%	95.8%	96.0%
Age	99.9%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Sexual orientation	92.9%	85.5%	87.5%	89.4%	90.6%
Ethnicity	89.8%	89.0%	88.2%	91.2%	91.2%
Country of birth	91.4%	91.2%	89.5%	90.5%	85.6%

Missing submissions and imputed data

Further details on missing submissions and data imputation for GUMCAD are available in the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

Other data completeness issues and artefacts

Data Entry Error (2024):

In 2024, a data input error affected the reporting of ‘New diagnoses’ in one SHS in the London region. Individuals reported as a ‘New diagnoses’ were excluded from analysis and data imputed from HANDD. Therefore, this issue has been resolved, and the affected data tables have been updated.

Manual data entry error (2023):

In 2023, a manual data input error affected the reporting of ‘New diagnoses’ and ‘Positivity (%)’ in SHSs in the Yorkshire and the Humber region and across England. Individuals attending for HIV care were incorrectly recorded as having a new diagnosis. This issue has been resolved, and the affected data tables have been updated.

Underestimation in the South West (2021 to 2023):

A data quality issue was identified in the South West region, leading to an underestimation of the number of ‘People tested’ and ‘Tests’ via online services in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This has a minor impact on national figures and derived statistics such as ‘Rate’ and ‘Positivity (%)’.

Suppressed Data for PrEP Need Indicator (2024):

Local data for the PrEP need indicator in the City of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset has been suppressed in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles for 2024. This is due to a change in reporting practices by a SHS provider, resulting in an artefactual decrease in the proportion of HIV-negative individuals identified as having PrEP need.

This issue is limited to the 3 affected local authorities, which together form the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Data for other local authorities, ICBs and previous years remains unaffected.

Data quality trends for HARS and HANDD  

Tables A4 and A5 present trends in demographic data completeness for HARS and HANDD, showing the percentage of records with specified values (that is  excluding ‘not known’ or ‘not specified’) by year.

Table A4. Number of all HIV diagnoses in England and percentage of demographic and clinical data completeness, 2020 to 2024

Demographic variable	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total number of diagnoses	3,070	3,218	4,147	6,201	5,298
Gender	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Age at diagnosis	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Probable HIV exposure	78%	81%	82%	88%	88%
Ethnicity	86%	87%	91%	91%	89%
Country of birth	75%	78%	79%	94%	92%
First CD4 count	91%	90%	92%	93%	90%
First CD4 count reported within 91 days of diagnosis among all records with first CD4 count available	79%	79%	83%	88%	92%

Table A5. Number of people accessing HIV care in England and percentage of demographic and clinical data completeness, 2020 to 2024

Demographic variable	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Number of people accessing HIV care	89,569	91,550	94,563	99,791	103,689
Gender	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Age	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Probable route of exposure	98%	97%	96%	96%	95%
Ethnicity	99%	98%	98%	97%	97%
Country of birth	95%	95%	95%	96%	95%
Viral load (once a year)	82%	90%	94%	94%	93%

Missing submissions

Table A6 presents descriptions of missing submissions specifying which geographic areas and years were affected and which actions were taken.

Table A6. HARS, HANDD and GUMCAD missing submissions, 2020 to 2024

Reporter	HANDD, HARS or GUMCAD	UKHSA region or devolved country	Period with missing or incomplete data	Action taken
Rugby SHS, Leamington Spa SHS and Nuneaton SHS (HCRG Care Ltd)	HARS	West Midlands	January 2024 to March 2024	Services affected by restructure and IT issues. Data not available for this period however report has since resumed.
Coventry Sexual Health	HANDD and HARS	West Midlands	April 2024 to December 2024	Service affected by restructure and IT issues. HARS reporting should resume in 2026.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	HARS	West Midlands	January 2020 to March 2020	None
Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital (Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust)	HARS	West Midlands	October 2020 to June 2021	None
Northampton General Hospital (Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust)	HARS	East Midlands	July 2020 to September 2020	None
Northern Ireland	HANDD and HARS	Northern Ireland	January 2023 to December 2024	Outstanding data has been reviewed by the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency and UKHSA and corrections have been applied. This should be published in 2026.
Barts NHS Trust	HARS	London	January 2021 to December 2024	Service has continued to provide a bespoke submission on all HIV consultations in lieu of HARS while progressing on resolving IT issues to facilitate HARS reporting in 2026.

Imputed data

HARS and HANDD data presented in these official statistics was not imputed for missing data, late submissions or data quality issues.

Uniqueness

Uniqueness refers to the extent to which records in a data set are free from duplication. Each individual record should represent a distinct entity, and each value should be stored only once. For example, fields like National Insurance numbers are expected to be unique, whereas fields such as town of birth may naturally contain duplicates.

GUMCAD

For more information on uniqueness in GUMCAD data, refer to the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

HANDD and HARS

The HIV surveillance team performs deduplication as part of quarterly and annual data enhancement processes to ensure that diagnoses, deaths and attendances are counted only once per individual.

Probabilistic matching

In addition to routine deduplication, the team conducts ad hoc probabilistic matching to identify potential duplicates. This process helps refine data accuracy, although details on timing and methodology may vary depending on the nature of the data issue.

Depersonalised data and patient ID

Due to the depersonalised nature of HIV data, individuals are identified using an alphanumeric patient ID assigned by the reporting service. This allows UKHSA to track diagnoses, deaths and care for unique individuals without compromising confidentiality. However, if a person uses different identifiers across clinics, linkage may not be possible. This limitation is accepted to maintain public trust in the confidentiality of SHSs and HIV care, in line with the Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2012, which recognises these services as anonymous access providers.

Consistency

Consistency refers to the degree to which data values do not contradict other values representing the same entity. For example, a mother’s date of birth should precede her child’s, and the same person’s date of birth should be consistent across data sets.

GUMCAD

For more information on uniqueness in GUMCAD data, refer to the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

HARS and HANDD

These data sets include multiple internal validation checks to ensure consistency. For example, consultation dates must fall within the relevant reporting quarter and span the full duration of that quarter.

Gender identity reporting

HIV surveillance data is presented in relation to gender identity, which may differ from sex registered at birth. Gender identity reflects a person’s self-identified gender (for example: man, woman, non-binary). Records with unknown or non-binary gender identities may be included in overall totals, meaning the sum of men and women may not equal the total.

Timeliness

Timeliness refers to how accurately data reflects the period it represents and whether it is available in a suitable timeframe for its intended use. While some data (for example, date of birth) remains constant, other data (for example, income) may change over time.

GUMCAD

For more information on uniqueness in GUMCAD data, refer to the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

HANDD and HARS

These data sets are submitted to UKHSA quarterly, balancing the need for timely surveillance with the reporting burden on services. Submission deadlines are set 4 weeks after the end of each quarter, allowing sufficient time for laboratories and services to process results and complete data entry. This approach supports a high rate of timely submissions and ensures data is current enough to inform public health action and service commissioning.

Validity

Validity refers to whether data values fall within expected ranges and formats. For example, a date of birth should not be in the future and should be stored in a date format rather than plain text.

Technical guidance

Both GUMCAD and HIV surveillance systems have detailed technical specifications that define required data formats and coding standards.

Automated validation

At the point of submission, automated validation rules are applied to enforce these standards. Submissions that do not comply may be rejected, requiring correction and resubmission to ensure data integrity.

Sound methods

Statistical outputs should be made using the best available methods and recognised standards.

This section describes how the statistics were produced and quality assured.

Data set production

The HIV official statistics are produced using automated calculations in standard software packages (such as RStudio, Stata, SQL, MS Access and MS Excel) which reduces the risk of human error via manual calculations. All calculations are independently verified via multiple quality assurance checks.

Quality assurance

HARS, HANDD and GUMCAD data sets go through rigorous data validation and evaluation processes. The initial data submissions have automated data validation rules applied at the point of submission (enforcing coding and formatting requirements) and are also subject to quarterly and annual data enhancement routines and quality assurance checks.

All statistical products (the written report, data tables, slide set and Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles indicators) are produced using automated calculations which are prepared and tested in advance. Additionally, each statistical product is produced by a member of the HIV team and is then independently validated by another member of the team. Regional breakdowns are also reviewed by regional UKHSA colleagues (the Field Service epidemiology scientist and Sexual Health Facilitator for each region).

These steps are taken to ensure the accuracy of calculations and the written text in all products. Any data queries that are raised via review are investigated and actioned appropriately. This means that data may be confirmed as correct or may require the addition of specific data notes or caveats to explain the data content. All of these quality assurance checks ensure that outputs are robust and reliable.

Confidentiality and disclosure control

UKHSA’s responsibilities include collecting surveillance data for HIV. We use this information to help improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the UK, to understand more about people’s access to HIV testing, prevention and care, to ascertain the effectiveness of interventions such as HIV PrEP, and to monitor trends in HIV epidemiology across the UK.

The sexual health and HIV privacy notice explains the HIV surveillance that we conduct and how we use the data from these surveillance systems. All UKHSA staff with access to surveillance data must complete mandatory information governance training, which must be refreshed every year. Information is stored on computer systems that are kept up-to-date and regularly tested to make sure they are secure and protected from viruses and hacking. UKHSA staff do not store data on their own laptops or computers. Instead, data is stored on secure, restricted access UKHSA servers.

GUMCAD, HARS and HANDD data sets are both pseudonymised and depersonalised. This means that this data cannot be used to reveal anyone’s identity. Additional controls are applied to the outputs included in the official statistics to minimise the risk of deductive disclosure. These controls include the masking of small numbers (counts of 1 to 4) when the relevant population size is less than 10,000 people. These controls are described in the UKHSA HIV and STI data publication guidelines.

Geography

The data in these official statistics is provided at national (UK and devolved countries), regional (UKHSA regions), ICB and upper- and lower-tier local authority level. All ICB and local authority level data is published to the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles and the Public Health Outcomes Framework Profiles, while regional and national data is provided in the report, data tables and slide set.

Most UKHSA Regions are consistent with the former government office regions (GORs). The major difference between regions is Milton Keynes, which is in the UKHSA South East region, but is in the East of England GOR.

Quality summary

Quality means that statistics fit their intended uses, are based on appropriate data and methods and are not materially misleading.

Quality requires skilled professional judgement about collecting, preparing, analysing and publishing statistics and data in ways that meet the needs of people who want to use the statistics.

This section assesses the statistics against the European Statistical System dimensions of quality.

Relevance

Relevance is the degree to which the statistics meet user needs in both coverage and content.

There is a clear need for timely, high quality HIV statistics. Google Analytics data shows that during 2025, the HIV official statistics were viewed nearly 7,337 times. The statistics are used to monitor trends and inequalities in HIV testing, prevention and care and the impact of public health interventions such as HIV PrEP.

The statistics are published annually to prioritise completeness and accuracy of reporting. Despite a decrease in the number of diagnoses between 2015 and 2024, inequalities in access to HIV testing, prevention and care remain.

The HIV statistics are primarily used by people in local public health teams, and by the providers and commissioners of HIV testing, prevention, and care services in local authorities, ICBs and NHS England. The uses of this data include monitoring of trends including inequalities, development and evaluation of policies and interventions, local strategic needs assessments and commissioning.

We have continued to make changes to the publication to meet user needs. We now publish the following products as part of the statistical release:

1. HIV testing, PrEP, new HIV diagnoses and care outcomes for people accessing HIV services: 2025 report.
2. HIV annual data tables.
3. HIV in England slide set.
4. Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles: HIV data by local authority and ICB.
5. Public Health Outcomes Framework: HIV data by local authority and ICB.
6. This QMI report, first published in April 2026.

By providing this range of different outputs, we can better cater to the needs of different users from a range of backgrounds, in line with the ONS user personas.

UKHSA regularly meets with HIV stakeholders to share epidemiological updates and to understand how to best meet their needs. This includes meetings with the English Sexual Health and HIV Commissioners’ Group, BASHH and BHIVA as well as voluntary and community sector organisations. These discussions are used to inform how we present the data that we publish through official statistics.

Accuracy and reliability

Accuracy is the proximity between an estimate and the unknown true value. Reliability is the closeness of early estimates to subsequent estimated values.

The accuracy of the statistics is largely dependent on the accuracy of the source data submitted to UKHSA. We have assessed the source data to be accurate (see the Data quality section above) as the design of GUMCAD, HARS and HANDD helps prevent data entry errors, and guidance given to users helps ensure the right information is collected in the proper format. The statistics report on:

• HIV testing, PEP and PrEP in all local-authority commissioned SHSs in England
• new diagnoses, AIDS diagnoses, deaths and attendances at all HIV clinics in the United Kingdom

Timeliness and punctuality

Timeliness refers to the time gap between publication and the reference period. Punctuality refers to the gap between planned and actual publication dates.

These official statistics aim to provide timely and up-to-date figures of important epidemiological indicators to inform ongoing HIV prevention and treatment efforts in England and the UK.

The statistics are always published as soon as possible, allowing for the collection of data submissions, production and quality assurance. The final GUMCAD, HARS and HANDD deadlines for submission of all data for England (January to December of the previous year) to UKHSA is mid-February each year. After this date, the UKHSA national and regional teams perform extensive validation processes. For HARS and HANDD data sets, deadline for receiving data from devolved countries, for paediatric diagnoses and attendances and from other sources is mid-June each year to allow for validation of these data sources prior to sending to UKHSA.

These official statistics are pre-announced at least 28 days in advance, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The provisional publication date for the official statistics is pre-announced online by June and can be found on the UKHSA release calendar.

Accessibility and clarity

Accessibility is the ease with which users can access the data, also reflecting the format in which the data is available and the availability of supporting information. Clarity refers to the quality and sufficiency of the metadata, illustrations and accompanying advice.

We publish several different statistics products as part of the release, as stated in the relevance section. This means that users can access the statistics in a format and style that best suits their needs.

The official statistics are made available in a range of media (such as HTML and ODS formats) which optimise accessibility across different devices (such as desktop computers and smart phones) and different operating systems (such as Microsoft and Apple). The content has also been designed to be accessible for users with visual impairments. For example, the data and data notes are presented in a way that is compatible with a data reader, and graphics are designed in a way that is accessible to people who are colour blind (such as using sufficient contrast between colour gradients).

The GOV.UK accessibility statement explains some of the accessibility features for HTML web pages.

Coherence and comparability

Coherence is the degree to which data that are derived from different sources or methods, but refer to the same topic, are similar. Comparability is the degree to which data can be compared over time and domain.

Data included in these and other HIV reports published on GOV.UK has been collected in a consistent manner over time using surveillance data sets with approved Information Standards Notices from NHS England (formerly NHS Digital). HARS data go back to 2013, with SOPHID established in 1999. HANDD data have been reported since the start of the epidemic in 1980s. Diagnoses and attendances figures reported for 2020 and 2021 are notably lower than previous years due to the disruption to health care and change in health seeking behaviour in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trade-offs

There is a trade-off between timeliness and completeness for the statistics. Given the high-profile nature of these statistics, we may allow additional time for reporters to submit data after the deadline or to resubmit corrected data following queries raised as part of data validation and quality assurance. We also ensure there is sufficient time for validation of all outputs.

Uses and users

Users of statistics and data should be at the centre of statistical production, and statistics should meet user needs.

This section explains how the statistics are used and how we understand user needs.

Appropriate use of the statistics 

For appropriate use of on HIV testing, HIV PrEP and HIV PEP, please see the QMI report for the STIs and NCSP data release for England.

There are several important factors to consider when comparing HIV trends over time. These include:

• disruption to service delivery and changes to health-seeking behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic led to reduced number of people testing for HIV and number seen for HIV care in 2020 and 2021
• online HIV testing has increased since 2020, however, there is evidence of inequalities in the use of online services by residential area-level deprivation index
• HIV antiretroviral treatment start within 15 days of HIV diagnoses was best practice from 2018, explaining lower proportion on treatment prior to this date
• the availability of HIV PrEP has impacted the number of people diagnosed particularly drop among white gay bisexual and all men who have sex with men

Known uses

In 2025, UKHSA undertook an online survey of stakeholders to monitor how the data were used and to obtain feedback on how the data can be improved. The statistics have been used in different ways, including:

• monitoring HIV trends and inequalities in HIV testing, prevention and care
• joint strategic needs assessments for local authorities
• commissioning of sexual health and HIV services
• health promotion
• research
• teaching

Known users of the statistics are primarily in local authorities, ICBs, providers of healthcare, voluntary and community sector organisations, academia and research.

User engagement

The HIV team undertake a broad range of different user engagement activities to ensure we fully understand our users and their needs. These include, but are not limited to:

• an online survey of stakeholders in 2025
• regular meetings with key stakeholders including local authority commissioners
• regular meetings with the English Sexual Health and HIV Commissioners’ Group
• regular meetings with BASHH and BHIVA
• regular care pathway workshops with local providers and their commissioners
• hosting an annual meeting with clinical stakeholders to discuss the epidemiology of HIV
• hosting an annual meeting for HIV data reporters highlighting the impact of uses of the data reported
• regular contact with various sexual health and HIV charities
• teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level
• providing statistics for individual clinics
• completing data requests from academic researchers as well as internal and external stakeholders
• contributing to Parliamentary Questions and Chief Medical Officer briefings
• producing publicly available slide sets for educational use
• giving presentations at conferences such as the annual BASHH, BHIVA and UKHSA conferences

We have worked with stakeholders to develop and improve our outputs based on user feedback. For example, responding to stakeholder feedback on the usefulness of the HIV testing indicator we developed a new HIV testing rate indicator. We also improved the terminology for some of the HIV indicators following stakeholder survey and even in April to May 2025 (see details in the appendix of the 2025 HIV annual data report).

Related statistics

Further information on trends in HIV.

Interactive tables, charts, and maps showing local area HIV data is available on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles.

Further information on the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework reports.

Further information on the HIV surveillance systems.

Further information on GUMCAD STI Surveillance System.

Further information on trends in STIs.