Back to Work - Try Temping

posted: 19/05/2010

While many people living with HIV are working, many other people feel trapped on the benefits for unemployment, sickness and disability. But temporary part-time and full-time work offers people who do feel trapped on benefits the chance to try working once again.

Going back to work after a long time away worries some, but there are new opportunities to try temporary work in every part of NW England. Temping, working for a short, fixed period of time, is a path back to work that can be without obligation.
 

Back to Work Help
Anyone living with HIV in NW England who is interested in returning to work, education or training, should contact our Services Team for help, information about your employment and other rights, and advice.
 

It is worth knowing that there are ways for some people to try some work for a while and if things don’t work out as you hoped, you can return to your old rate of benefit. You need to see a benefits expert. You might impress them by asking them to tell you all about ‘therapeutic working’ – which is the benefits jargon for trying work while keeping the right to return to previous benefits.

Other back-to-work help is also available.
 

Census 2011
The Census provides a lot of temporary / casual / PT work opportunities. It's an opportunity for people to try working, wherever you live. Find out more at the new census jobs website 

How to apply and what jobs are / will be available 

What working on the 2011 census offers
The 2011 Census will offer a wide range of opportunities throughout England & Wales. Benefits include:

• Flexible working hours that you can fit in around your current commitments
• The opportunity for a short term income boost
• Opportunity to add new experience to your CV
• Competitive salaries
• The chance to work within your local community
• The opportunity to meet a wide range of people from various backgrounds
• Job satisfaction that can be gained from helping others
• The health benefits that will be gained from working outside
• The chance to play a part in gathering the information needed to make good decisions on things that affect local communities.

Contact our Services Team about going back to work.

HIV Transmission – All the Facts

posted: 14/04/2010

Clear, full, accurate information about HIV transmission can be hard to find. Even recent ‘official’ sources may mislead. For example, one NW England council’s HIV guide for schools suggests HIV transmission could happen at school.

While almost anything could happen at any school, HIV transmission is exceptionally unlikely, without risky sex - and that is not part of the curriculum. Suggesting HIV transmission could happen at school is unhelpful and tends to increase anxiety and feed HIV stigma.
 

HIV transmission without sex, without injecting drug use, or without mother to baby transmission is exceptionally rare. Of over 34,000 HIV diagnoses in the UK from the beginning of the epidemic to 1997, only 19 happened in non-sexual 'unusual circumstances' . Most of these ‘unusual’ transmissions were at clinics abroad, where infection control procedures were slack.

Everything you ever wanted to know about HIV transmission but were afraid to ask

Visit the HIV transmission section of the NAM / aidsmap website for detailed information on subjects including co-factors that affect transmission, viral load and risk of transmission, and protective measures.

NAM also produce a comprehensive book, HIV Transmission & Testing, available from their online bookshop.
 

HIV and Children Booklet

posted: 14/01/2010

NAM have a new version of their information booklet, HIV & Children. HIV & Children provides the latest information about HIV treatment and care for children living with HIV.
 

It's free for people living with HIV in the UK.

Other people can buy a copy from the online bookshop for £1.

Free to read online

It can also be read free online or you can download a free copy as a pdf file you can then print out. 

Copies for clinics and HIV organisations
If you work in a clinic or support group in the UK, you can order these booklets for free. Get in touch with Rose for details on 020 7840 0060 or by emailing Rose.

All NAM's booklets

read any booklet online

download any booklet as a free pdf file

Low Income?

posted: 15/12/2009

Over the next few days a new section of the George House Trust website will help people with low incomes. It will have sections on

• Increasing your income
• Cutting Spending
• Dealing with Debt
• and the help George House Trust offers.

Many people living with HIV have low incomes, some migrants with HIV even have no income whatsoever, and long term conditions usually add to people’s living costs. At the very least there are hospital appointments and often prescription charges to pay.
 

The Low Income pages will point you to where you can find the information you need to help yourself, and explain the support George House Trust can offer.
 

You will find Low Income  advice and information here. On the website front page it is under All About Our Services 

Advice at North Manchester Hospital

posted: 13/11/2009

A new welfare rights service for people living with HIV has opened at North Manchester General Hospital.

The specialist advice worker is Karina Knight and she can help with things like:

• benefits
• housing 
• debt and
• consumer problems.

Call 0161 234 3923 to book an appointment with advice worker Karina Knight.