Gaps in HIV testing: results from an audit of abortion services in England.

Reducing undiagnosed and late diagnosed HIV infection in the population remains a public health priority. By the end of 2012, of the estimated 98 400 people living with HIV in the UK, approximately 1 in 3 (31 700) were women of whom about 1 in 4 (7700) were unaware of their infection. There were 842 200 conceptions for women aged 15–44 years in England in 2012; of these, 1 in 5 (21%) resulted in abortions. Over 1 in 6 of all abortions carried out in England were conducted in non-National Health Service (NHS) settings in 2012. Unlinked anonymous surveys last conducted in 2004 identified an HIV prevalence of 1.19% among women attending NHS abortion services in London compared to 0.57% in corresponding antenatal clincs. In 2008, the British HIV Association (BHIVA) recommended universal offer of testing for women attending abortion services in their National Guidelines for HIV Testing. Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Letters to the editor