HIV Tests at Casualty

posted: 27/07/2010

Every person who goes to London A&E departments could soon be tested for HIV under plans being considered by NHS London. In the first move of its kind, the HIV checks could become routine at emergency units and will be offered to any adult attending casualty. The move is being rolled out at Chelsea & Westminster NHS foundation trust following a hugely successful Department of Health funded study at the south-west London hospital.
 

2 people diagnosed every month at one A&E

It comes because of the numbers of people with HIV and the rise in HIV across London. The pilot HIV testing at Chelsea and Westminster’s A&E department found nearly half a dozen new people with HIV in only three months.
 

The Health Protection Agency recently recommended that the NHS should as a matter of routine do a HIV healthcare check everyone when they go to an A&E department in any areas with higher rates of HIV. Now a number of other health trusts are already seriously considering this.
 

North West Too?

In NW England, Manchester, Salford and Blackpool have rates of HIV high enough to justify routine HIV screening in A&E.
 

Better Health and prevention

HIV testing at A&E is one way to improve the health of people with undiagnosed HIV. New figures show that at least one in every four people with HIV do not know they have HIV. Late diagnosis worsens people’s health and shortens people’s lives. Undiagnosed HIV means people don't get the treatment they need for good health and people may be passing on HIV unwittingly to their sexual partners.
 

Under 18s

Dr Rachael Jones, from Chelsea and Westminster hospital, said she has treated nearly a dozen patients under 18 in the last three years in West London but this was just “the tip of the iceberg”.
The consultant blamed ministers for focusing on underage pregnancy instead of on safer sex and said HIV tests should be routine for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. She said: “For a long time it was men having sex with men presenting with the virus. Now we're seeing teenagers coming through for the first time with HIV. It only takes one episode of unprotected sex for them to become infected.”
Dr Jones said that the “Don't die of ignorance” shock campaign of the Eighties failed to have a lasting impact and that many teenagers do not even know what HIV is.
 

Source 
 

Help Save Immigration Aid Unit

posted: 09/07/2010

Vital legal help with immigration and asylum problems for people with HIV (and many other people) is threatened. The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, which gives excellent help to people with HIV, is to have its funding from the government cut. Our leading regional Immigration Aid Unit will no longer be able to provide 70% of the help that it does now.
 

Immigration aid funding cuts

The Legal Services Commission told them at the end of June that their legal aid contract will be cut from October 2010. Last month another major excellent immigration aid unit in London, Refugee and Migrant Justice, (which also had offices in Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle and Nottingham), was forced to close down.
 

Save our Immigration Aid Unit
We can’t let this happen in Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) does exceptional work for people with HIV and immigration and asylum problems. We and they need you to help us fight this massive funding cut.
 

The GMIAU works with some of the most vulnerable people for whom the asylum system has already done an injustice. Daily they see people who have been unrepresented because they weren't able to get legal advice, or they got advice for their asylum claim but when it came to appeal their legal representative turned them away - because the work isn't 'profitable'.
See below for more details on what is happening – Statement from the Immigration Aid Unit
 

How they want you to help

This is what you can do

• Come to the public meeting at GMIAU on Monday 19th July at 6.30 pm. Everyone is welcome. GMIAU is at 1 Delaunays Road, Crumpsall Green, Manchester M8 4QS Directions, public transport travel and map here
• Contact your local MP. You can use the 'contact your politician' green and yellow box on their website. Please do it now and when you get replies email or post copies of the replies to the Immigration Aid Unit .
  Point out to your MP what a valuable service they provide and how they rely on organisations, including GMIAU, to help their constituents. Without the GMIAU their advice surgery queues will get longer and their work will become much harder. Around 1,500 people with HIV in NW England (25% of all those living with HIV), most of whom live in Greater Manchester, are not British Citizens and many of them have complex asylum and immigration problems. Get your MP to pledge their support.
• email / write to the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
  Rt.Hon.Kenneth Clarke QC MP
  Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
  Ministry of Justice
  102 Petty France
  London
  SW1H OAL
  email Ken Clarke through this address
• Write to the Minister for Justice
  Damian Green MP
  Minister for Immigration
  Home Office
  2 Marsham Street
  London
  SW1 4DF
• please email a copy all replies please to Denise the director of the Immigration Aid Unit
• Ask your Trade Union or Professional Body to back the campaign.
  Skilled and experienced immigration caseworkers across the country are losing their jobs as a result of cuts to legal aid for more complex cases.
• Become a supporter of GMIAU.
  Support the work of GMIAU by getting friends and colleagues to sign up as a supporter and offering to do work for us (all assistance with legal action welcome), donate or fundraise.
  Email Denise to sign up.
   

More information on campaigning for Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
For more information please email Denise McDowell, Director  or ring 0161-741 2646.
 

Statement from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
Statement about our position since the announcement of the outcome of the legal aid contracts for immigration.
 

This is the latest evidence of damage to the advice sector by the Legal Services Commission (LSC).

After three years of preparation, and several delays, the outcome of the national tendering round seems to have hinged upon whether an organisation ticked a box to say that they had applied for a level 3 caseworker to gain 1 point. This is so ludicrous as to be almost laughable. Except that of course it's not funny at all.
 

The LSC have damaged immigration legal aid beyond repair.
 

This will mean that people needing quality representation will be detrimentally affected. It will mean that there will be even more people standing unrepresented before the courts.
 

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit remains committed to providing a high quality service to people affected by immigration control. Whilst the cut will affect the number of people we can see who are funded through legal aid we remain as committed as ever to the people we are here to serve - people affected by immigration control. Over the next few weeks and months we will be taking action to manage this situation including seeking to secure alternative funding to continue the work.
YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL.
THANK YOU

Manchester Pride Gets Ready

posted: 10/06/2010

Manchester Pride have just released a new video on YouTube  called This is Manchester Pride. It shows the effort and work of planning Manchester Pride each year.

The Big Weekend part of Manchester Pride is at the late August Bank Holiday weekend Saturday 28 - Monday 30 August.

Cheaper Weekend Tickets only until 1 July

Tickets for entry to the gay village in central Manchester over the holiday weekend - early bird price is £12.50 until July 1st, then  it rises to £17.50. Tickets for Manchester Pride

Manchester Pride 2010

North Manchester General Hospital

posted: 08/06/2010

False rumours about some changes at North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) are going around. The service at the HIV clinic is not changing. All that is happening is the hospital is making better use of its beds in some of the wards.
 

Cynthia at the hospital tells us that to meet demands on their services and to use their facilities better, the Hospital will be making changes to some Infectious Diseases wards over the coming weeks.

They want people using the hospital to know just what is going to happen and to end worries caused by rumours and wrong information.
 

What ward changes are planned?

• The services now used on ward J5 will be moved to another ward area within the hospital.
• J6 will stop being an Infectious Diseases managed ward.
• Both ward J5 and J6 will reopen as ‘Fast flow wards’ and the Infectious Diseases Department will keep admission rights to those wards.
• J3 and J4 will continue unchanged.
• There are no plans to relocate the Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine to another site.

Cynthia Murphy, Manager – Infectious Diseases Research Department & HIV / Hepatitis Support Coordinator
 

Dentists in Manchester

posted: 01/06/2010

NHS Manchester is making efforts to improve dental health and access to NHS dental care. Four new practices have opened in the last 18 months and 3 more will open by September.
 

Dental health is important for people living with HIV.

Urgent?
There are 32 appointments reserved across the city for people needing urgent dental care.
 

Call the Manchester Dental Helpline on 0161 230 6011
 

The Helpline will arrange emergency appointments, usually on the same day and close to home, and also signpost people to dentists with space for new patients and advise about dental services.
 

HIV and dental care

Regular visits to the dentist are important for people with HIV. Not only will this help general dental health, but it also allows dentists to check for gum and mouth disorders, such as oral thrush and badly bleeding gums, which are more common among people living with HIV.
George House Trust and the HIV clinic can help you find an NHS dentist, or a dentist that is particularly skilled or interested in treating people with HIV. Not all dentists offer NHS care.
 

Tell or not?
It’s a good idea to let dentists know of significant medical conditions like HIV, or if are taking any medication. This will help them ensure that you receive the most appropriate treatment. It is unprofessional, and also illegal for dentists to discriminate against you because of HIV, race, or sexuality or other reasons under equality laws.
 

Dentists have been told by the General Dental Council that they cannot refuse to treat somebody just because they are HIV-positive. And universal hygiene precautions are enough to prevent the transmission of HIV during dental treatment.
 

Namlife on dental care