As a health professional, you will probably be familiar with PEP being used after occupational exposure to HIV and will be aware that it is also available under strict prescribing guidelines to people who might have been exposed to HIV during sex.

This section offers support and to help you meet the needs of gay men requesting PEP in your area.

In 2006 the former Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson wrote to all Primary Care Trusts stating that PEP should be made available as part of a wider HIV prevention strategy. You can download a copy of this letter here.

A Sector Summary Report on PEP from February 2010 is available for download as a PDF. It contains PEP information relevant to gay men but now covers heterosexuals. This reflects PEP awareness campaigning over recent years that have been carried out within African communities in the UK.

'PEP talk' report

An evaluative report by Sigma Research is available which presents the findings of a study into gay men's awareness and access to PEP. 'PEP talk - awareness of and access to post exposure prophylaxis among gay and bisexual men in the UK' shows appropriate data from the Gay Men's Sex Survey and analyses information from interviews with gay men who tried to access PEP.

• This article was last reviewed on: 11/10/2011
• Date due for next review: 11/10/2013