The reception area of the University of Sussex Student Union

A new sexual health and HIV digital vending machine has been launched at the University of Sussex Student Union Reception Building, funded by the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF).

As part of the intervention of using vending machines to improve access to STI testing around Brighton and Hove, the machine is aimed at students, and offers free, confidential and accessible testing for sexual health conditions.

It’s the latest in an initiative that has now placed seven digital vending machines around the city, and one is soon to be installed at the University of Brighton Moulsecoomb campus. The award-winning machines were developed by the Martin Fisher Foundation in collaboration with academics from BSMS in 2017 and funded by Public Health England (PHE) as part of the HIV Prevention Innovation Fund. 

The machines provide STI testing kits for people without symptoms who want to check their sexual health or HIV status – The machines contain self-sampling swabs and blood sampling equipment which will be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV when returned through the post to the Sexual Health Clinic. The machines also have  oral HIV self-tests which are extremely accurate (99.7%) and give a result in just 15 minutes.  

Prof Jaime Vera, Chair in HIV at BSMS and Trustee of the Martin Fisher Foundation said: “Our STI vending machines are now at eight locations across the city, and are helping to make testing easy and accessible for everyone. It’s great to see these are now available at the university for students to access.”

Find out more about HIV research at BSMS here >