The South East London (SEL) HIV re-engagement programme has been shortlisted in two categories at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026, recognising the programme’s success in improving patient safety and reducing health inequalities for people living with HIV.
The programme has been shortlisted for:
- Quality Improvement Initiative of the Year
Re-engaging people living with HIV not in care: a system-wide quality improvement initiative to reduce avoidable harm - Improving Safety and Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities
Closing the gap: improving patient safety for minority ethnic communities through HIV re-engagement
The HSJ Patient Safety Awards celebrate outstanding teams and organisations that are making healthcare safer through innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement. This year’s awards recognise the critical work being undertaken across the NHS to address longstanding challenges while delivering better outcomes for patients.
Addressing a hidden gap in care
The programme was established through a partnership between SLOSS, the South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB), and HIV clinical teams across Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
While HIV services traditionally focus on supporting people already engaged in care, there has historically been no systematic pathway for identifying and supporting those who have fallen out of care altogether.
Using UK Health Security Agency and local clinical data, dedicated teams proactively identify people who have not attended HIV services for 12 months or more and provide personalised outreach through phone calls, text messages, emails, home visits and close working with partner organisations. The aim is simple: help people return to care before their health deteriorates.
Tackling inequalities in HIV care
The programme has highlighted that disengagement from HIV care is not experienced equally.
Local evaluation found that people who were no longer engaged with services were disproportionately likely to be from Black African communities, female, older, and living in areas of greater deprivation. Many also faced overlapping challenges including stigma, poor mental health, unemployment, financial pressures and substance use.
By combining robust data with flexible, person-centred outreach, the programme addresses both clinical need and the wider barriers that can prevent people from accessing care.
Making a measurable difference
Between 2022 and 2025, the programme achieved 333 re-engagement episodes across the three South East London trusts, with 84% of people returning to care through proactive outreach.
Many individuals returned at significant clinical risk, underlining the importance of early intervention and the value of a dedicated re-engagement pathway.
The programme has also helped build a stronger evidence base for understanding disengagement and reducing inequalities in HIV care, with findings presented nationally at the 2026 British HIV Association (BHIVA) and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASSH) Joint Conference. The South East London evaluation has also informed emerging BHIVA guidance on HIV re-engagement, helping shape future best practice.
Looking ahead
Building on the success of the programme, additional funding has recently been secured to extend the model across South London, working with partners in South West London to create a coordinated pan South London HIV re-engagement pathway.
This next phase will further strengthen collaborative working across organisations and help ensure that people living with HIV receive the support they need, regardless of where they live or the barriers they face.
The winners of the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026 will be announced at the awards ceremony on 28 September 2026.