News 3
posted: 03/03/2008
Disability Living Allowance Review and Crusaid take a break
Disability Living Allowance Review
Many HIV+ people on the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for care will have their claims reviewed. Some people have DLA under what are known as the "special rules". These give a fast track to the highest rate of DLA with the minimum of fuss, when doctors expect someone to die within about six months.
Anyone who has had special rules DLA for more than three years will be reviewed in 2008. Many HIV-positive people (usually gay men) diagnosed in the 1980s and 1990s have survived and proved the doctors wrong. In 2006 a three year limit was added to the special rules and the Disability and Carers Service decided to look again at everyone paid over three years. Under 55s are being checked first, with all reviews completed by the year end.
People may lose the high rate care component. Some will also see a drop in the amount of income support and housing / council tax benefits. Incapacity and other benefits however should be completely untouched.
People will still be able to get DLA as long as they can show they now fit the normal rules. There are three rates of DLA payment. No one should have to pay any money back.
Get advice from benefits and HIV experts at George House Trust and follow the suggestions on our website.
Crusaid Takes A Break
Crusaid Hardship Fund is closed temporarily until April 7th for an overhaul and update of their systems. This means George House Trust is unable to make any applications to Crusaid until then. The services team is advising about alternative sources of grants and, where appropriate, making applications for them.
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News 2
posted: 03/03/2008
Transmission Impossible, New Drugs, Resistance, Online Pill Poser, Conferences
Transmission Impossible?
Swiss clinical experts have gone out on a limb and said you can't sexually transmit HIV provided all these are true:- the person’s viral load is undetectable and has been for 6 months, and secondly the person is taking anti-HIV treatments and is being monitored, and thirdly the person has no sexually transmitted infections. They recommend Swiss law-makers repeal the offence of putting someone at risk of HIV by having unprotected sex. As in some other countries, people with HIV in Switzerland are prosecuted simply for having unprotected sex, even where HIV is not passed on. News report from aidsmap: http://tinyurl.com/3c3y6z
Another New Drug Class
Development of new anti-HIV drugs includes some completely fresh types. Raltegravir (Isentress) belongs to a new class of antiretrovirals called integrase inhibitors. It works against HIV’s integrase protein, blocking the virus’s integration into human cells. This is now available in the UK. The drug has no cross-resistance with others, making it useful for people with few treatment choices left.
There are now six classes of anti-HIV drugs, each attacking different parts or stages of the virus. The six classes of anti-HIV drugs are - Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), Protease inhibitors (PIs), and the newer class kids on the block are Fusion inhibitors, CCR5 inhibitors and Integrase inhibitors.
Resisting Resistance
A UK study shows that ten years after starting anti-HIV treatment, only about 10% of people have become resistant to drugs from all of the three main classes of antiretrovirals (NRTIs, NNRTIs and protease inhibitors). Even when there is resistance to these three classes, doctors are often still able to effectively treat a person’s HIV; an undetectable viral load was obtained at least once in 6 out of 10 people with three drug-class resistance. There are 3 more drug classes.
Taking treatments like clockwork is the habit people with HIV have to practice to minimise developing drug resistance. People need to take all the right drugs at the right dose and time, almost without fail. The target is to be at least 95% adherent, which is the equivalent of missing no more than one dose a week if you take the pills three times a day, or no more than three missed doses a month for people taking tablets twice-daily.
Online HIV Pill Poser
Improve your HIV drug spotting skills and play an online game matching pill pictures and drug names to the right class of HIV drugs. http://www.aidsmap.com/cms1252471.asp
The Three Conferences
Spring Conference season is now upon us with Colin Armstead making a presentation at the annual CHAPS (gay men’s sexual health) conference on our integrated “positive prevention” services, which are winning national recognition. The start of March sees Positive Action 2008, a one day event for people living with HIV, picking up the threads of the cancelled UKC Conference, abandoned when UKC was forced to close down last year. Under the Boabab Tree is the name for the Africans, Gender and HIV Conference organised by the African HIV Policy Network. The baobab is the African tree of life - it's big and old, gives shelter, food, and more for the peoples of Africa. It's a major meeting place for talking over community matters like HIV.
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News 1
posted: 03/03/2008
Two Trials and Police Review, and Manchester School Discrimination
Two Trials and Police Review
In early October 2007 a Manchester man was charged with both reckless and deliberate Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) for transmitting HIV to a woman partner. He was held in prison for over four months until the case was dramatically dismissed by the judge at Manchester Crown Court. The maximum sentence for reckless GBH is 5 years.
Dismissing the case, Judge Rudland said "it would be an injustice to proceed" and that he was influenced by the rulings of judges in the last two cases. This is the third case in a row where the Crown has failed to obtain a conviction. The judge used the Crown Prosecution Service's own new policy for prosecuting HIV transmission cases against them, saying they should use advanced virology to attempt to rule out an accused person and must also rule out all other possible sexual partners of the complainant.
Meanwhile in Leicester, another prosecution will go to full trial in September and this is expected to take a week.
Police Review
A detailed review of how different police forces have investigated HIV transmission cases is already under way for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
George House Trust is working with other experts to produce a best practice guide to improve how police investigate HIV transmission complaints. One likely recommendation will be to transfer these investigations to police sexual offences units which deal with all other sexual crimes.
Sexual offences units would be better because they are expert in dealing sensitively with complainants, handling and obtaining sensitively the evidence and in better handling the accused and other sexual partners.
Manchester School Discrimination
Racial harassment forced one family using George House Trust services to move to a different part of Manchester. The child was all set to start at a new school and the main carer told the Head that the child is HIV positive. The Head said if the child went to that school he would have to tell every teacher and every parent that the child was positive. Needless to say the child then went to a different school.
Clearly illegal, and an over the top panic reaction, but making a formal complaint risks further stigma, gambles with the family’s confidentiality and takes great strength and resources when living with a chronic illness. NAT
Schools Pack guidance http://www.nat.org.uk/page/3549
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News About Us
posted: 03/03/2008
Staff Leavers and Starters, Investing in Volunteers, Smart Group
Staff Leavers and Starters
Some staff started and others have departed over the last few months, and we welcome Rachael Ekiring as finance organiser. We said goodbye to Markus Greenwood who was volunteer co-ordinator and has become manager of a local MIND service. We welcome back Laura Hamilton, who replaces him. We said goodbye to David Graham as Director of Fundraising and Development. Farewell too, to Paul Fairweather as his short term role as adviser ends and welcome to Jill Cooke, already working part time, now a full-time adviser. Fatima Katergi is also welcome back full time as an adviser, following her six months as an intern with the Mines Action Group.
Investing in Volunteers
George House Trust has been awarded the Investing in Volunteers standard for the quality of the training and support we provide our mix of volunteers.
Smart Group
The SMART group (Service Monitoring and Review Team) is one of the ways service users offer views, ideas and feedback. It has been relaunched and there are now 16-20 attending regularly, led by the vice chair of trustees.
We have actively recruited people using all the various George House Trust services. The group meets monthly and reports directly to the Trustee Board. The group has a workplan for the whole year running up to the next Annual General Meeting in October. If you would like to know more please contact lynda@ght.org.uk
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Fundraising News
posted: 03/03/2008
Thanks for World Aids Day help, Seeking Corporate Sponsorship, Great Manchester Run
World Aids Day thanks
We'd like to say a big thank you to all volunteers, staff and supporters for their efforts in fundraising over the World Aids Day period, and in particular for helping to raise the profile of this important event.
Staff and volunteers from George House Trust, the Lesbian and Gay Foundation and Body Positive North West staffed an information stall in the European Christmas market over the weekend and sold red ribbons in Manchester city centre. Despite the wind and the rain together we raised over £3,000 for George House Trust.
Thanks also to Bury Grammar School, MANCAT, Currys Stretford, Open Athletics and Pure nightclub for all their fundraising efforts.
Seeking Corporate Sponsorship
George House Trust have launched a programme to develop corporate sponsorship links with companies based in the North West.
The programme will provide numerous benefits to the companies involved, including: improved corporate social responsibility, optional training on HIV related employment issues and general HIV awareness, increased PR, and involvement for staff in fundraising events.
If you work for, or are aware of, a company that might be interested in developing links with us, please contact Katherine Moulder on 0161 274 4499 or email katherine@ght.org.uk.
Great Manchester Run
Over 100 runners are commited to fundraising for George House Trust on 18 May and our runners, including staff and volunteers, are asking for your sponsorship now. In February alone Welfare Fund applications were for more than £6 500. This is more than twice what we have to spend in the Welfare Fund budget and leaves many disappointed people. This makes us even keener to encourage you to sponsor our runners. Visit Great Manchester Run at www.ght.org.uk
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