In this issue we’ve got a mix that illustrates the varied experience of living with HIV. David McLay reminds us that people with HIV still have specific medical needs in his article on pneumonia (Breathtaking mortality); our exploration of the changes in HIV social care provision illustrates how difficult and confusing it can be to get non-medical needs met (Is there life after death for HIV social care?); and the latest news on prevention (Treatment is prevention) provides us with yet more evidence that HIV drugs may be an essential component of prevention too.

NAM is committed to supporting people with HIV to understand their health and treatment options and, as NAM’s flagship printed resource, HIV Treatment Update has a 20-year history of doing so (our first issue came out in 1992).

But after the next issue, it will be published quarterly rather than monthly. After July, the next issue will be in October, and from then on HTU will appear in January, April, July and October (or winter, spring, summer and autumn if you prefer).

Why are we making this change? Well, as you may guess, funding is a key reason. NAM has not been immune to the funding cuts that other HIV charities and service providers have faced, including the 20% cut to the London HIV prevention budget that recently featured on the BBC. The money we receive from paid HTU subscriptions has also been in decline for a number of years.

It’s important that we allocate our resources to best fit the way people use our materials. Surveys have shown consistently that you, our HTU readers, really appreciate having a well-designed, readable newsletter to receive through your door or pick up at your clinic, a printed resource that summarises the most important news and analyses the most important issues. That’s why we are going to continue it.

We will expand each issue to 20 pages, instead of 16, so there will be more in-depth features in every issue. We would welcome your suggestions for the subjects you really want us to cover.

HTU surveys have also shown that most of our readers have access to the internet and use websites to research information. When it comes to the crunch, these days many people turn to the net for quick information and comment. We hope you will find the news reporting, free resources and email bulletins on aidsmap.com useful to you.

We know you’ll want to comment on these changes. We will be in touch with individual HTU subscribers but in the meantime, all comments, questions and suggestions are welcome at info@nam.org.uk.