Manchester Art Gallery World AIDS Day Events

posted: 19/11/2010

George House Trust and Manchester Art Gallery are working together on two events to raise awareness about HIV and challenge HIV related stigma.

The first event is a Family Art Day on Saturday 4th December from 1pm-3pm. This event is open to all families with children aged 6-11 years old and is free. The event is themed around World AIDS Day and using the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt to raise awareness about HIV. The event is completely free. Please arrive at 12:30pm to sign up for activities at Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL.

The second event is an Imagine Weekend on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December, 12noon-4pm open to adults and to families with children of any age. The event will focus on making a work of art from Red Ribbons. This event is completely free. No need to book - just drop in.

Please note that both these events are open to the general public and all activities will be delivered by Manchester Art Gallery staff, not staff from George House Trust. We therefore cannot guarantee confidentiality, if you choose to share personal information at these events.

You can find further information at: http://www.manchestergalleries.org/

Comforted Creatures with HIV

posted: 04/11/2010

We produced this animation (with apologies to Ardman Animation’s Creature Comforts) as a serious but amusing presentation on some of our work, for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

We interviewed people with HIV who have benefited from our positive prevention work and residential weekends, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
 

Excellent Presentation

After presenting all our work to the Foundation's panel, they told us:

George House Trust were the first to present and I have to say set a standard that was not replicated. If there was ever a lesson on how to do an interesting presentation, that was it.

Lynda and Colin spoke with passion about the work, the achievements so far and the publication of initial outcomes (they had the BHIVA/NHIVNA poster displayed).

An individual talked very openly and honestly about how he had benefited from the programme and to top it all we were treated to an animated film with people’s real experiences of the support and help they had received.

A perfect presentation with something for everyone - excellent! 

Watch and listen at George House Trust on Facebook

Public Health Watch

posted: 29/10/2010

Updating of public health rules means public authorities in England and Wales have powers they can use against individuals with HIV to protect the public health from 'infection or contamination'. Magistrates can make compulsory public health orders (known as Part 2A orders) on people. Similar powers were used in Manchester against a man with HIV in 1985.

Late in 1985, just after Manchester AIDS-Line (later George House Trust) was set up with the help of a small grant from Manchester City Council, the same council used its public health powers backed by a magistrate. It compulsorily detained a man with HIV at Monsall Hospital. Major protests followed and, after a court case, he was freed to leave hospital a few days later.

This was the first and only time public health powers have been used against someone with HIV in this country. You can read more about this here.

New Health Protection Regulations

These old public health powers have now been updated in new Health Protection Regulations. Helpful guidance has been produced by the Department of Health on how to use (and not use) these powers.

This makes clear that in almost all cases using these powers to manage the risk of HIV or STI transmission would be inappropriate and should only be considered, if at all, in the most exceptional of circumstances.

HIV community and clinical organisations like BHIVA and BASHH oppose the use of these powers against people with HIV. They would cause more harm than good, damaging trust in STI and HIV clinic confidentiality, increasing HIV hate and discrimination, and would only ever be a short-term fix for someone with a life-long health condition.

More information

More information on the new public health powers and HIV can be found at the NAT website.
 

The official guidance makes clear that Part 2A orders 'are not a tool for managing long-term problems' and that the orders:

• are not meant in any way to change the current system and culture of confidentiality within sexual health services
• are not to be a routine part of managing those with HIV who present with evidence of ongoing unsafe sex (for example by presenting with repeated STI infection)
• are not generally appropriate for contact tracing
• could have harmful consequences for wider trust in sexual health services
• and that in the very exceptional circumstances where a Part 2A order might be considered, advice should be sought from the treating clinician and clinic director as to the possible consequences of such an order, and confidentiality must be respected at all times.

Even with this guidance, these powers could be misapplied to people with HIV or another sexually transmitted infection.

We, and NAT, are keen to hear about any attempts to coerce someone with HIV, through the use or threatened use of these powers. We do not expect the powers to be used, because the old powers were only used once against someone with HIV, 25 years ago, and have not been used again since. But it could happen. 

Department of Health: Health Protection legislation guidance 2010, laws and regulations

HIV and Immigration Conference

posted: 28/10/2010

George House Trust invites professionals to our 26 November conference on Working with HIV positive people subject to immigration controls. This is on Friday 26th November 9.30am - 4.30pm at George House Trust, Manchester.
 

The frequent changes to asylum legislation and policy make it difficult to keep on top of the issues and offer your clients the best advice or most effective practice.
 

Living with HIV adds a further layer of complexity to immigration and asylum applications and appeals. Those living inside the immigration and asylum system are confronted with issues such as poor housing, poverty, alienation and fear.
 

Creative Solutions

The aim of this day is to

• demystify terminology and systems 
• to equip workers with a working understanding of the systems and legislation
• share approaches that effectively support this client group
• suggest creative solutions for professionals to adopt.
   

Speakers include:

• Ruth Heatley, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit - The Asylum Process; Application and Support Systems
• Daniel Murphy – George House Trust Service and Development Manager - HIV and Immigration, including Migrants' Rights to HIV Treatment
• Boaz Trust - Destitution Realities and Support
• Refugee Action - Leave to Remain and Legacy. Life after Asylum

Conference Programme

Cost and Bookings

£40 for Voluntary Sector agencies, £60 for Statutory Sector. If you would like to come but are unable to pay please contact us

To book a place on this course please contact Nathan Perry 0161 274 4499

For more information or specific access / disability requirements contact Daniel Murphy 0161 274 4499
We are 5 -10 minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly station Map

Your HIV Aware Ideas?

posted: 20/10/2010

What would people around us do differently if they were HIV aware? For this year’s World AIDS day (Wednesday 1 December) people living with HIV are asked to suggest ways people can show they are ‘HIV aware’.
 

This year's UK World AIDS day theme is Act Aware and it is all about taking action to tackle HIV prejudice and to protect yourself and others from HIV transmission.

Making the world HIV friendly
NAT (hosting the UK World AIDS Day website) plan to encourage people to visit the World AIDS Day website and make a personal pledge about how they will Act Aware.

Wanted: your suggestions
That’s how people with HIV can help – NAT want your suggestions of the sort of things you would like to see people do in a HIV-friendly world.

All NAT want is a short sentence for World AIDS Day. It’s really easy – write your words on this page

The suggestions and pledges will inspire people to do something to Act Aware and make our world more HIV friendly. You can give a name and location, or be anonymous.

What people living with HIV have already suggested on the website ...
 

I would like to see society's attitudes change, so that I don't feel that I have to hide the fact that I have HIV     Alan, London
 

I would like people who are living with HIV whom are confident to do so, to share their own stories about how they have overcome the barriers and challenges of living their everyday lives      Danny
 

I would like everyone to think seriously about HIV and what it means to live with HIV - and therefore be realistic, aware and practical when it comes to safer sex      Maurice, London
 

I would like there to be a focus on education and stigma within younger groups of people, with attention paid to cultural differences and needs      Richard
 

I would like to see more positive role models of people living with HIV      Danny

Please either add yours to this webpage OR e-mail it to NAT 

World AIDS Day 2010 – Act Aware