Happy couple raise funds for GHT!

posted: 24/08/2010

A huge thank you to Mike and Andrew Page Fielding who celebrated tying the knot by raising nearly £200 for George House Trust! Mike and Andrew asked guests at their Civil Partnership to make a donation to support our work.

George House Trust is the largest provider of HIV social care in the North West of England. We support over 2000 people living with HIV. Your support makes a lot of difference to the people we work with. We're a small charity. No amount of money raised is every too small. Every penny counts!

If you are interested in raising money for us, please get in touch by emailing fundraising@ght.org.uk and we will work with you to turn your idea into action!
 

Saving AIDS Support Grant

posted: 26/05/2010

Before the election, the end of ring-fenced AIDS Support Grant for local councils was announced. The new coalition government has now said it will phase out all types of ring-fenced grants for councils.
 

National AIDS Trust has now written to Paul Burstow (Lib Dem, Sutton & Cheam in Surrey), the new Minister for State for Social Care Services, setting out the need to continue to ring-fence AIDS Support Grant after 2011.

It has also written to Anne Milton, the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health.

The new Government has emphasised the importance of public health interventions, and NAT stress the potential public health implications of removing of the ring-fence. Because of this, and given the recent commitment to phase out ring-fenced grants for local authorities, NAT also suggests that the Grant could be paid to PCTs instead, rather than local authorities.
 

Add Your Voice

Organisations and individuals may wish to write to Paul Burstow, or their local MP, to emphasise the vital role of the ring-fenced ASG. NAT’s letter to the minister can be used by people and organisations to make the point that the ring-fence is still needed.
 

Any letters to the minister should reflect the local situation. You might emphasise these points:

• The important role ASG funding currently plays in funding local services
• The impact the loss of the ring fence would have on funding for HIV orgnaisations (it is far less likely that local authorities will continue to fund services without the ring fence - what would happen to people if support is no longer available?)
• Some case studies showing the difference the Grant makes to the lives of individuals and families in your area

NAT 2009 report on The AIDS Support Grant – Making a Difference?

 
Latest Department of Health details on ASG allocations for each council in England and how it should be spent  
 

NW England
AIDS Support Grant 2009-2010 and total HIV population by social services district
download our handy guide for NW England here

The AIDS Support Grant allocations for the current year, April 2010 – March 2011, have not been published – it should be listed as a circular here

Here is gathered information from Freedom of Information requests on AIDS Support Grant in different parts of England 

text of NAT letter to Minister
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Blackburn Thrivine Meeting

posted: 04/05/2010

UPDATE 11 May 2010 - This AGM is cancelled.

THRIVINE, the HIV community in Blackburn, East Lancashire, has its first Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 18th May 2010 at their office on Eanam Wharf.

Around 6 months ago THRIVINE moved from the warm embrace of the Jarman Centre to its own place. The move was exciting and challenging with many hurdles and new things to learn.

Find out for yourself what THRIVINE has been up to and its plans for the year.

The Annual General Metting starts at 6pm.

To book a place at the Annual General Meeting please email THRIVINE or print out the attached document, complete it and then please post it to             THRIVINE
Unit 20
Blackburn Business Development Centre
Eanam Wharf
Blackburn
BB1 5PL

 

Please note that THRIVINE at Eanam Wharf does not have disabled access. They apologise for this inconvenience.
 

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Rapid Testing on the Mersey

posted: 23/03/2010

People may feel they have taken risks with HIV and have not had the courage to get tested. National and local figures show around 1 in 3 people have not yet found out they already have HIV. In Liverpool a new Rapid Test service means there is no waiting for the answer or need to go back to collect the HIV test results.

Around 150 people on Merseyside are living with undiagnosed HIV, according to one of Liverpool’s nurse specialists, Bob Downes, HIV Nurse Specialist at NHS Liverpool Community Health.

Rapid Test in 20 minutes

The simple test being used takes just 20 minutes. It’s an easy to use drop-in service, and people don’t have to go away and collect the result later. You get the result after only a few minutes wait.

Testing proving popular
The pilot’s proving popular - 84% of users of the service who were surveyed said they preferred the rapid test to having a standard laboratory HIV test, and 92% said they would recommend the service to others.

Testing prevents late diagnosis
Bob said: “It is a shocking but true that 30% of HIV infections in the community are undiagnosed. “Being diagnosed with HIV is no longer a death sentence. More and more people are living and working with HIV than ever before, but it is vital that it is caught in the early stages to give people the best possible chance of managing the virus. We would urge anyone who fears they may have exposed themselves to HIV in the past to think about getting tested, so that they can either put their mind at rest, if the test is negative, or take action, if it proves positive.”

Vida Spaine, the Nurse Coordinator for the service at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “This new technology is now being used in Liverpool for the first time, partly in response to research by the National AIDS Trust, which has shown that public knowledge of HIV in the UK is declining and there is evidence of a lack of understanding about HIV.”

The free, same hour, drop-in, while you wait HIV testing services for local communities in Liverpool is lead by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, with NHS Liverpool Community Health, the Health Protection Agency, Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Liverpool John Moores University.

Serena Cavanagh from Sahir House, the Liverpool-based HIV support organisation, said: “We are now in our 25th year of offering services to people living with or affected by HIV and the testing procedure has improved so much. 25 years ago you would have to wait up to 2 weeks to get the result, but today’s rapid testing gives you a result in 20 minutes. Although having an HIV test is still a difficult choice to make, people are aware of their choices and options sooner.”

Where?
Here’s where you can get tested by this free and confidential HIV Rapid Test service.
 

• Well Travelled Clinics, (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA Thursday 9am-12pm, contact Vida Spaine on 0151 705 3163        Directions 
• Hartington Road Family Health Clinic, Hartington Road / Lesseps Road, Toxteth, Liverpool, L8 0SG  Monday – Friday, contact 0151 285 2802
• The Liverpool Centre for Sexual Health, Department of GUM, 1st Floor, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Prescot Street, Liverpool, L7 8XP, contact 0151 706 2620.

The classic Liverpool waterfront image is by pmorgan 
 

Sustaining African Community Leadership

posted: 14/01/2010

Sustaining Community Leadership is the theme of the latest issue of the African HIV Policy Network’s Newsletter. It has pieces on

• surviving the economic downturn
• the importance of Africans and others making their voice heard by voting in the general and local elections (which will almost certainly be on May 6th)
• HIV positive people being leaders and making a community impact
• Africans disappearing from HIV clinics (by Chris Morley, George House Trust’s policy expert)
• Resources and working to improve Faith responses to HIV, (they have more information on their website)
• HIV and the workplace – meeting the needs of staff with HIV
• Their media toolkit for working with journalists – details and download it from their website
• Young people using the web and mobile phones for HIV messages
• Fighting HIV stigma
• Using SHoutloud to have your say about your local HIV and sexual health services.

This Sustaining Community Leadership issue

 Past issues of AHPN's newsletters