Preparing for PrEP; the cost of delaying universal access in England.

OBJECTIVES: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is not commissioned within National Health Service (NHS) England. Individuals can access it privately online or by enrolment into a clinical trial. We established a list of individuals not enrolled in trials, awaiting PrEP. In response to the observation that patients awaiting PrEP trials were being referred with newly diagnosed HIV, we aimed to measure attendance, incident HIV, STI acquisition and missed opportunities for prevention. METHODS: The search was conducted for patients on the list from November 2017 to November 2019. We examined the electronic clinical records of those on the list and extracted demographic information, STI and HIV diagnoses. In addition, for those diagnosed with HIV, we reviewed risk factors including chemsex and prior postexposure prophylaxis. RESULTS: There were 1073 patients on list, and 520 (48.6%) were still awaiting recruitment in a PrEP trial. Eight (0.75%) had an enrolment appointment booked while 200 (18.64%) had been contacted and deemed ineligible according to PrEP trial criteria. 45 (32.15%) had not responded to contact. We identified 15 new HIV infections in patients awaiting PrEP. Of these, 9/15 (60.00%) did not meet eligibility criteria at point of contact, though had been eligible at first referral. CONCLUSION: It is unacceptable that 15 patients acquired HIV while waiting. The individual lifetime cost of treating HIV is estimated at £360 800(1). This equals £5 412 000 for these 15 infections notwithstanding the psychological and physical burden. We advocate the immediate role out of universal PrEP for those who need it on the NHS. While this decision is delayed, harm is coming to those waiting. Wider provision of PrEP may encourage increased attendance, but must consider additional resources to accommodate added visits. We are relieved that at the point of final submission (21 March 2020) NHS England have recently announced funding of PrEP for eligible patients from, further details are pending.

An analysis of the economic and patient outcome impact of an integrated COPD service in east London.

Exacerbations of COPD carry a huge burden of morbidity and a significant economic impact. It has been shown that home care may be useful for exacerbations of COPD. This article presents a review of an integrated COPD service in east London. Hospital Episode Statistics, Public Health Mortality Files and clinical data were used to analyze differences in health care usage and COPD patient outcomes, including COPD assessment test (CAT) scores for a subsample, before and after the introduction of the integrated service. There was a significant (30%) reduction in the number of hospital bed days for COPD patients (P<0.05), alongside a significant increase in patients with only a short stay (0-1 days) in hospital (P<0.0001). There was a significant increase in the number of patients dying outside of hospital (a proxy for quality of end-of-life care) following introduction of the service (P=0.00015). Patients also reported a clinically significant improvement in CAT scores. A locally developed economic model shows that the economic benefits of the service (via impact on place of death and reduction in length of hospital stay) were almost equal to the cost of the service. The increase in proportion of short-stay admissions and the reduction in bed days suggest an impact of the service on early supported discharge and that this along with an improvement in patient clinical outcomes and in quality of end-of-life care shows that an exemplar integrated COPD service can provide benefits that equate to a nearly cost-neutral service.