HIV, Equalities Impact Assessment

posted: 22/06/2010

The Department of Health has produced a report about the current inequalities in sexual health, the national policies to reduce and eliminate these inequalities, and an action plan to improve national sexual health policy by continuing to narrow them.
 

It includes a chapter about HIV and the equalities aspects of this in England. This includes the impact of HIV on gay and bisexual men, and Africans, and women in England.
 

This Equalities Impact Assessment will be one of the key documents influencing the next national Sexual Health Strategy, when the current sexual health strategy ends next year in 2011.
The document is available to download here on the DH website.
 

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Have Your Say About GP Changes

posted: 07/08/2009

Your help is asked in an online survey looking at a recent change to HIV services and one that's planned for early next year. The survey is for people using Greater Manchester clinics even if you don't live in Greater Manchester. 

When the NHS is planning or has changed the way it runs services, they need to look at the changes they are making (or have made) and think about the effects they might have on the local community.

Your help is asked with an online health impact assessment - looking at how changes to sexual health services can be made to work better for us all.

Service changes they want to hear about

• Clinics this year stopped prescribing drugs you would normally get from your GP and instead focused solely on HIV and sexual health care
• The Networks plans to pay all hospitals equally for the HIV care they provide (currently not all hospitals get reimbursed fully for the work they do -this will start next April.)

There is a short online questionnaire.

They want to know the positive and negative effects of these changes. This will help them come up with ways to cut problems and maximise the benefits.

Deadline early October

The deadline for responses is Friday 2 October 2009. Comments submitted will be included in the HIA which will be shared across Greater Manchester towards the end of the year. Actions contained in the HIA will be carried out by the Sexual Health Network.

Take part in the survey here     It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes

The Draft Health Impact Assessment is here if you want to check it.

George House Trust and outside consultations
 

George House Trust is committed to involving HIV positive people in consultation work undertaken by Local Authorities, PCT and national bodies (such as the Department of Health). We are committed to this because we recognise the importance of having a strong service user voice within consultation work.

When we are involved in this work we want to make it clear that we have no control or influence over the outcomes of any particular consultation in which you, as somebody living with HIV may be involved.

• We ask the people / organisation undertaking the consultation work to be clear from the out set what can and cannot be influenced by you as part of the consultation.
• We also ask that the outcomes of the consultation work are made clear including feedback to participants in the consultation.
• Sometimes a member of staff from GHT may be asked to facilitate a particular event. They will always make clear at the beginning of the event that George House Trust has no control over the outcome of the consultation.