There are a lot of HIV and AIDS websites out there. The following organisations and websites have been selected as some of the most reliable and accessible sources of HIV/AIDS information, and in particular of policy-related information, for voluntary organisations working in the UK. 

Browse the list or go directly to any of the following sections:

HIV and AIDS Information Services
Government Departments, Agencies and related groups in the UK
United Kingdom HIV/AIDS policy and/or campaigning organisations
HIV/AIDS policy & related  research organisations and websites

 HIV and AIDS Information Services

Aidsmap
A partnership project of National AIDS Manual (NAM), the British HIV Association and St Stephen’s AIDS Trust, the excellent Aidsmap is a website offering comprehensive information on all aspects of HIV/AIDS from medical, legal and health advice to the latest news. Highly recommended. 

Aids Education Global Information System (AEGIS) is a vast and comprehensive resource, reputedly the world’s biggest HIV/AIDS website, including a daily briefing that draws together news reports from all over the world on all aspects of HIV/AIDS, from research to drugs to law and government policy.

Avert
A leading UK AIDS education and medical research charity. The AVERT site contains: HIV and AIDS statistics, information for young people, personal stories, a history section, information on becoming infected, a young and gay section, free resources, FAQs, and a range of other data.

NAM
NAM is a community-based information provider based in the UK whose sole aim is to combat the AIDS epidemic through accurate, accessible and up-to-date information. NAM’s publications have become one of the principal sources of AIDS and HIV information in the UKand Europe over the past ten years.NAM produces extensive information on treatments, both in book form and as a searchable database. They also have a range of publications on organisations as well as an online international resources database, searchable in six languages. There is also a searchable database of HIV clinics in the UK.

National HIV Prevention Information Service is a free specialist information service on HIV health promotion serving people with a professional interest in HIV prevention across England (does not cover treatment and care issues). The site, managed by the Health Development Agency on behalf of the Department of Health, includes a database of research and practice, and an online version of its HIV/AIDS education bulletin.

Scottish HIV and AIDS Group (SHIVAG) is an information and discussion forum for all HIV/AIDS care professionals in Scotland. Membership is free and is open to members of all professional groups (and representatives of voluntary bodies) working in the interests of persons infected or affected by HIV in Scotland. SHIVAG meets every couple of months and holds an annual conference.

Government Departments, Agencies
and related groups  in the United Kingdom

All-Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS  is the backbench group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament at Westminster. The Group publishes regular updates for its Members about HIV discussions in Parliament or outside whilst Parliament is sitting.

NHS Health Scotland
NHS Health Scotland is a new special health board created on 1 April 2003 by bringing together the Public Health Institute of Scotland (PHIS), www.phis.org.uk , and the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS), www.hebs.com .NHS Health Scotland provides a national focus for improving health, and will work with the Scottish Executive and other key partners to take action to improve health and reduce inequalities in Scotland.

Health Protection Agency
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is now established as a new organisation dedicated to protecting people’s health and to reducing the impact of infectious diseases, poisons, chemical and radiological hazards for England and Wales. The site has an HIV/Aids report section , that contains comprehensive data on prevalence HIV/Aids.

National HIV Prevention Information Service (NHPIS) provides specialist information on HIV/AIDS health promotion aimed at professionals. The site, managed by the Health Development Agency on behalf of the Department of Health, includes a database of research and practice, and an online version of its HIV/AIDS education bulletin.

Our Healthier Nation
The Our Healthier Nation Website is a major gateway to information on all aspects of Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, the government-wide health strategy for England, published in July 1999. Most extensive public health site in the UK. Contains extensive information and updates on the UK Government public health strategy.

Policy Hub
UK Government site which aims to “promote improvements in government policy making and delivery”.

Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health
SCIEH is the body responsible for the national surveillance of communicable diseases and environmental health hazards and the provision of expert operational support on infection and environmental health to health boards and local authorities in Scotland.

SCIEH is an excellent resource for the most accurate and up-to-date information and statistics on HIV/AIDS in Scotland. Also publishes the ‘SCIEH Weekly Report’, which incorporates AIDS News Supplement (ANSWER).

Scottish Executive
The Scottish Executive is the devolved government for Scotland. It is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland such as health, education, social inclusion, transport, law and order. See especially the Scottish Executive Health Dept

Scottish legislation
The Acts and Statutory Instruments of the Scottish Parliament which have been passed since devolution.

Scottish Parliament
The Parliament’s website aims to provide users with all the information, documents and links they require such as:

The parliament website has an excellent webcasting facility - www.scottishparliamentlive.com - which provides live audio-visual coverage of proceedings in the Chamber and main Committee rooms.

UK Government – useful sites

UK Online Govt is the official gateway to all government information and services online.

Or go directly to the following sites:

Department of Health (DOH)

House of Commons

House of Lords

Cabinet Office
Official documents

HMSO

Official-documents.co.uk

UK Legislation
The Acts and Statutory Instruments of the UK Parliament since 1988

Bills
Bills currently being dealt with at Westminster

The National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) brings together the public health resources of the five former health authorities in Wales, including the former Public Health Laboratory Service in Wales, and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.

United Kingdom HIV/AIDS policy and/or
campaigning organisations

British HIV Association
BHIVA is a 600+ member association with a commitment to provide excellence in the care of HIV-infected individuals.

The Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health is a charity which works with policy-makers and health professionals, to promote excellence in the prevention and management of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Supported by the British Medical Association, its primary focus is on policy and practice in the UK.

National AIDS Trust

NAT is the UK’s leading HIV/AIDS policy and advocacy organisation working to ensure that people in power take action on HIV both within the UK and internationally. NAT has a UK-wide policy remit.

Society of Health Advisers in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (SHASTD)

National organisation with membership of about 85% of the UK’s 350 Health Advisers in this field. Aims to improve and maintain standards and encourage development of health advisers in sexually transmitted diseases.

Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s largest AIDS charity. Its site offers information, fact sheets and details of the services it provides, as well as an online ‘shopping village’ where a percentage of goods bought over the net from high street retailers goes to the charity.

UK HIV Policy Forum
Forum, facilitated by NAT, that brings together HIV policy expertise from people living with HIV, key voluntary sector agencies, researchers, clinicians, commissioners, and representatives from groups most affected by HIV – gay men and African communities for example - to work collaboratively in HIV policy developments. The UK HIV Policy Forum meets twice a year and the four countries of the UK are represented.

Waverley Care
Waverley Care was founded in 1989 as a direct response to the HIV epidemic in Lothian. Waverley Care exists to promote the welfare of HIV positive people and people with AIDS in Scotland, and support their relatives, carers and dependants.

International HIV/AIDS policy and related
campaigning organisations

ActionAid is one of the UK’s largest development agencies, working with over five million of the world’s poorest people in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN) is a global information and support network, created to link and support people and programmes working in Asia to stop HIV among injecting drug users.

United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UN AIDS)

United Nations body set up to co-ordinate HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes across the world. The site includes detailed, country-by-country estimates of the spread of the epidemic.

Global Health Council is the world’s largest membership alliance dedicated to improving health worldwide. Its mission is to mobilise effective action by advocating for needed policies and resources, building networks and alliances among those working to improve health, and communicating innovative ideas, knowledge and best practices in the health field.

Global Campaign for Microbicides  is a broad-based, international effort to build support among policymakers, opinion leaders, and the general public for increased investment into microbicides and other user-controlled prevention methods.  Through advocacy, policy analysis, and social science research, the Campaign works to accelerate product development, facilitate widespread access and use, and protect the needs and interests of users, especially women. 

Healthlink Worldwide works to improve the health of poor and vulnerable communities by strengthening the provision, use and impact of information. This site contains a list of publications and full text issues of recent newsletters, including the international edition of AIDS Action newsletter. The site also provides access to Healthlink On-line, containing 12,000 records of materials focusing on the management and practice of primary health care, disability and rehabilitation in developing countries.

International AIDS Economic Network (IAEN) provides data, tools and analysis on the economics of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in developing countries.

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) works to accelerate the development of AIDS vaccines and assure worldwide access.

International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) works to improve the lives of women in poverty, advance women’s equality and human rights, and contribute to their broader economic and social well-being. ICRW accomplishes this in partnership with others through research, capacity building and advocacy on issues affecting women’s economic, health and social status in low and middle income countries.

The International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO)
ICASO represents the interests of CBOs and NGOs around the world.

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
A unique development organisation specialised in supporting communities in developing countries to tackle the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS.

Panos is an international non-profit institute providing information on global issues with a developing country perspective.

Partners in populations and development
An inter-governmental alliance of 16 developing countries, created for the specific purpose of promoting and improving the transfer of knowledge, expertise, and skills in population and reproductive health through South-to-South collaboration.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) seeks to address the many causes of poverty and to promote development, including through the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.

World AIDS Day
Official website of the campaign. Live and let live is the slogan of the two-year World AIDS Campaign 2002-2003, which will focus on eliminating stigma and discrimination. The campaign is co-ordinated by the United Nations joint programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

World Health Organisation
The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialised agency for health. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly.

HIV/AIDS policy & related research organisations and websites

Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector (ARVAC) aims to promote effective community action through research.

Central Research Unit (CRU) (Scottish Executive) provides a research service principally in relation to social policy but also covering other scientific areas such as certain transport, rural and environmental issues.

Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations (UK)
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations is the major academic body in the UK for the research and teaching of matters concerning racism, migration and ethnic relations. This site includes access to the centre’s projects and publications as well as their database. The database includes resources relating to ethnic relations including citations of pamphlets, reports and journal articles. Many of the records are concerned with health issues.

The Centre for Sexual Health Research, University of Southampton

Department of Health – Research & Development (UK)
This section of the Department of Health’s website provides details about it’s research activities and responsibilities. It provides links to the National Research Register, NHS National R&D Research Programmes, NHS Regional Offices and Policy Research Programme.

ESPANet (the Network for European Social Policy Analysis) has been established to facilitate exchange and co-operation among social policy analysts in Europe and to provide a forum and network of communication for the development of European social policy analysis as a field of research and teaching.

Economic and Social Research Council – ESRC (UK)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's leading funding agency for research and training into social and economic issues. The ESRC website provides details of its work, and of the research programmes and projects being funded.

House of Commons Library Research Papers provide analyses and background information on topics of current parliamentary interest compiled for Members of Parliament by the staff of the House of Commons Library.

Institute for Public Policy Research  ippr is the leading UK independent think tank on the centre left.

Medical Research Council (MRC)  Social and Public Health Sciences Unit
The MRC’s excellent Sexual and Reproductive Health programme seeks to understand the social factors that either encourage or militate against sexual and reproductive health, and to identify means of preventing unwanted sexual outcomes and of promoting positive sexual health.

Policy Library includes a wide range of papers from the academic sector and think tanks and includes reviews and syntheses of literature for some policy areas. It attempts to put policy in context, through subjective literature reviews.

Policy Network is an organisation that aims to link and inform those involved in policy making. It has a strong international emphasis and has links with government and policy-makers in more than 25 countries.

Policy Research Programme (UK Department of Health) provides a knowledge base for health services policy, social services policy and central policies directed at the health of the population as a whole.

Policy Studies Institute (UK)
The Policy Studies Institute is an independent research organisation, undertaking studies of social and economic policy. PSI is a registered educational charity and is not associated with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest. All research conducted by the Institute is made public and can be accessed through these pages.

Qualitative European Drug Research (UK)
This site was set up by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction & The National Addiction Centre as part of the project 'Co-ordination of working groups of qualitative researchers to analyse different drug use patterns and the implication for public health strategies and prevention'.

Research and Development Information (UK)
Rdinfo is a source of health related funding opportunities. The database is fully searchable by amount, area of work and subject area and contains details of over 750 funding sources ranging from the Medical Research Council to small research charities.

Schools Health Education Unit (UK)
The unit offers survey, research and evaluation services to all those concerned with the health and social development of young people. The site also contains annual reports on the behaviour trends of young people.

Sigma Research
Research agency covering all aspects of sexual health, although with a focus on HIV/AIDS and STIs. Undertakes specific pieces of research and development for providers and commissioners of sexual health services. Produces reports with a practical orientation, focused on prevention and the more social aspects of treatment and care, and aimed at providers of key services, commissioners and policy-makers. 

United Kingdom academic sites is a clickable map showing all recognised Universities, University Colleges and Higher Education Colleges in the United Kingdom.

Please note that links to organisations offering support and services for people with HIV are available on our Worried about HIV page.