Photo: Reading Tom / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Lambeth Council has become the first council in the country to be recognised as an HIV Confident organisation, after successfully completing the HIV Confident charter mark programme.

The achievement follows 18 months of work across the council to tackle HIV stigma. It included staff engagement, awareness raising, HIV e-learning, internal communications campaigns and new policies and practices to support people living with HIV, with a wide range of council staff taking part.

Cllr Jeremy Isaacs, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care (job share), called it “a significant achievement for Lambeth”, in line with the council’s commitments to tackle health inequalities and promote inclusion, and key to its role as host borough for the London HIV Prevention Programme and as a Fast Track Cities partner working towards ending new HIV transmissions and HIV stigma. Cllr Sam Dorney-Smith, who shares the role, said it was “a huge collective effort for the whole organisation” and that Lambeth can now safely say it is a leader in tackling HIV stigma.

HIV Confident, which awards the status, is the UK’s largest anti-HIV stigma programme for organisations. Annie Howard, its Senior Programme Manager, said the team was “absolutely thrilled” to recognise Lambeth as its first HIV Confident local authority, and that people living with HIV in Lambeth, whether council staff or people using council services, “can be assured that they will be welcomed into safe, inclusive spaces”.

This is a proud moment for our borough, and a real reflection of the care and commitment of everyone who made it happen.

Read more from Lambeth Council: Lambeth: First council recognised as an HIV Confident Organisation