New HIV Mental Health Standards
posted: 08/04/2011
The first standards for mental health services for adults living with HIV are now out for public comments, until the end of May.
The new Standards for psychological support for adults living with HIV were written by a team of experts, with the help of patients’ representatives and the HIV community sector, including George House Trust, Terrence Higgins Trust and NAT (National AIDS Trust).
The new standards describe the care that adults living with HIV should expect to receive from all the services providing mental health and psychological support, from any time after HIV diagnosis. These are not designed for children and teenagers with HIV, but it is hoped that standards for younger people will soon follow.
Psychological support means ‘any form of support which is aimed at helping people living with HIV to enhance their mental health and their cognitive and emotional wellbeing’. Mental health support comes in lots of different ways and not just from experts.
Many people with receive really valuable support from other people living with HIV – at services such as spaces, groups, weekends, which is known as 'peer support'. Experts like psychologists and other professionals (counsellors, nurses, psychiatrists and others) working in HIV clinics, at doctors surgeries and other clinics, as well as in HIV and other community services, provide more specialist support, treatment and help.
Stepped Care and 9 Standards
The standards follow a four-stage 'Stepped Care' model, to match people's growing psychological support needs, as these get more serious and complex.
- Standard 1: promotion of mental health and wellbeing
- Standard 2: support at the time of diagnosis
- Standard 3: screening
- Standard 4: competence to provide psychological support
- Standard 5: comprehensive psychological support services
- Standard 6: co-ordination of psychological support
- Standard 7: evidence-based practice
- Standard 8: evaluation and audit
- Standard 9: engagement of people living with HIV
Say what you think
Comments on the draft standards are very welcome from anyone with experience (good or bad) of using or providing mental health support for people living with HIV. They’d like people to use their special form for your response. This helps by asking questions, and gives you space for any general comments on the whole standards, and on each of the 9 standards.
The standards should be used by the people deciding what mental health support services for people with HIV are provided in each district and by the people providing those services for checking their services are up to the standards.
The Standards
Please use this consultation response form and send your comments to MedFash by 5.00pm on Tuesday 31st May 2011.
These standards are a joint initiative of the Faculty for HIV & Sexual Health of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the British Psychological Society (BPS), the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and the Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health (MedFASH).
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