THE Martin Fisher Foundation won the Innovations Category at the national British Medical Journal Awards.

The prestigious award was given for developing a world-first touch-screen digital vending machine for dispensing free HIV self-tests at the Brighton Sauna.

With the help and support of the sauna staff, the pilot started in June 2017 and has since distributed more 300 tests.

The project has been highly evaluated with 95 per cent saying they would recommend this type of testing to others.

Now the second generation of machines is ready to be rolled out across the city with the aim of ensuring everyone is aware of their HIV status.

This project was funded by Public Health England as part of the HIV Innovations grant 2016/7.

The Martin Fisher Foundation was set up in Brighton and Hove to take forward the work of Professor Martin Fisher.

The foundation continues Martin’s ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect, and focuses on the development of new strategies for effective HIV prevention, treatment and care.