LAST Wednesday saw probably the last local authority sponsored HIV conference, ‘Positively Together’. Organised by the Sheffield Centre for sexual Health, the overwhelming mood of the event was of the need to be positive in the face of an uncertain future.

Unfortunately the headline speaker, Baroness Joyce Gould, was prevented from attending by illness, and so the conference was opened by Clive Skelton, the city’s sexual health champion, who argued for the benefits of his position whilst acknowledging that his uniqueness in English local government made it likely that it would not survive the oncoming changes and cuts.

The morning’s sessions were all keynote speeches, delivered by Dame Denise Platt, Sir Nick Partridge, and Dr. Christine Bowman, on the social care system, the healthcare system, and clinical progress and change respectively.

Both Dame Denise and Sir Nick focused on the radical changes being proposed by the new Coalition Government. Denise noted that the HIV/AIDS sector had itself emerged from a collection of community based organisations not unlike the vision for the future of social care and service provision being promoted by the Prime Minister. She noted that despite the axing of the AIDS Support Grant, NAT had been successful in securing named allocations for monies given to local government, and called upon HIV/AIDS organisations to ensure that they hold local government to account for spending the allocations on HIV/AIDS services.

Nick outlined the Government’s proposals for reforming the healthcare, and especially its focus on ‘geographical localism’, and the commissioning of healthcare services by GP consortia. Regard GP commissioning, Nick argued that the proposals create difficulties for HIV services, as they give no role for GP consortia in commissioning HIV services, despite the need for HIV services to be better embedded in primary care. He also noted that little coverage had been given to the Government’s Public Health proposals, although it contained a number of proposals that will impact on HIV prevention agencies such a THT, which is currently making £5m of cuts to reflect a 12% loss of income from government contracts.

Christine Bowman provided a more upbeat note, as she detailed the progress that had been made in stabilising people living with HIV, including reducing mother to child transmission, whilst also noting that this highlighted the difference in outcomes for those individuals who present late, and usually with extremely compromised immune systems and opportune illnesses. She also noted that antenatal HIV testing by midwives had proved to be successful, and argued that it should serve as a prototype for introducing HIV testing across the healthcare system.

Following a series of workshops, covering issues such as ‘HIV and stigma’, ‘the role of the voluntary sector’, and ‘Positive Living’, the conference returned to plenary session, with addresses given by Silvia Petretti of Positively UK on the needs and rights of PLWHIV, Mark Pitts of Sheffield City Council on the AIDS support grant, and closed with a barnstorming presentation by Barbara Allen, a GP from Manchester about how her practice works actively with HIV positive patients to enable them to manage their health.

Overall the conference was an interesting mix of pessimism, optimism, and uncertainty about the future. On the evidence of this conference, whether the Government’s reforms across health and social care will improve the lives of people living with HIV, aware or unaware of their status, seems to leave most people feeling very much the same.

Presentations from the conference are available at: http://www.sexualhealthsheffield.nhs.uk/news/6-3-positivelytogether.php

A NEW survey launched by NAT (National AIDS Trust) has found that large numbers of the British public are confused about HIV transmission and that misconceptions about the HIV still exist.

But encouragingly 70% understand that someone becoming infected with HIV in the UK is unlikely to die within three years and 74% say that people with HIV deserve the same level of support and respect as people with cancer.

’HIV: Public Knowledge and Attitudes 2010’, is number four in a series of surveys undertaken by NAT and conducted by Ipsos MORI.

The survey looks at public attitudes to HIV, assesses support for people living with HIV, levels of stigma and discriminations and general understanding of the virus and the transmission routes.

Deborah Jack, CEO of NAT, said: “As the number of people with HIV in the UK approaches 100,000, it is crucial for everyone to understand the facts around how HIV is passed on so they can protect themselves and others.

“Whilst HIV disproportionately affects gay men and Africans, the number of people with HIV who are not in these groups is steadily rising, and unfortunately there does still remain a serious amount of confusion around HIV transmission.  Many people are unaware of the basics such as using a condom to protect themselves, whilst myths such as transmission from kissing and spitting are still perpetuated.

“It is certainly positive to see the majority of the public have supportive attitudes towards people with HIV, but there are still huge gaps in awareness of what it means to live with HIV in the UK today.

“For example, the fact that an HIV positive mother can have a healthy baby and being HIV positive can still mean a near normal lifespan.

“Whilst HIV treatment has advanced rapidly in the last ten years, knowledge and attitudes have sadly not kept pace – resulting in stigma and discrimination.  Successfully addressing HIV stigma is vital, not just so people living with HIV are treated fairly, but also so everyone feels confident to test for HIV and talk about HIV related risk.0

“The survey indicates there is a link between knowledge and attitude.  Those who understand the facts about HIV transmission are more likely to have a supportive attitude than those who are confused or hold false beliefs.  Stigma and discrimination is often borne out of fear of infection – based on misconception around transmission- they can also arise from broader perceptions and judgements about people who have HIV.”

• One in five adults do not realise HIV is transmitted through sex without a condom between a man and a woman
• Only three in ten adults (30%) can correctly identify, from a list of possible routes, all of the ways HIV is and is not transmitted
• An increasing proportion of adults incorrectly believe HIV can be transmitted by impossible routes such as kissing and spitting
• Nearly a fifth of adults (19%) believe if a family member was HIV positive it would damage their relationship with them
• More than two thirds of British adults (68%) agree more needs to be done to tackle prejudice against people living with HIV in the UK

You can  find out more about the findings of ‘HIV: Public Knowledge and Attitudes 2010’ or to download the report click here

Those party animals at  NAT have not ONE, not TWO, but THREE fundraising slots in the London clubbing calendar: supporting NAT’s campaigning work this World Aids Day. Here are the details…

GaydarRadio, Katherine Ellis and THE FREEMASONS Invite you To ‘Put It On’ For World AIDS Day. Sam Obernik, Amanda Wilson, and Shena will by belting out the anthems at Lo-Profile Bar – GaydarRadio’s very own Alex Baker and Phil Marriott – complete the line up for this exclusive World AIDS Day event with all the proceeds going to NAT. Hosted by the fabulous Sink the Pink Glitter Sprinklers. 1 December 84-86 Wardour Street, Soho. W1F. Tickets: £10 in advance / £12 door. 9pm ‘til Late BUY TODAY: £10 advance tickets

The Onyx night @ AREA invite you to very very gay affair at the Vauxhall venue for a fundraiser for NAT. There will be the usual mix of pumping house on the main dance floor and cool tech trance in the black box. What more could you want? 3 December. 66 Albert Embankment London SE1. Tickets £ 1 before midnight, £6 after. 10 till very late. AREA Bar and Club

Lovechild Club Night @ Fire invite you to the sexiest club night on the London calendar in support of NAT. Featuring: Leomeo from Paris & Naked DJ and Nick Wolanski and of course the sexiest dance troop and performers in the capital. 11 December. Fire South Lambeth Rd Vauxhall SW8. Tickets £10 11pm to 7am

Have a lorra lorra fun…

Check out the Positive Pulse diary for more WAD events click here

England is being left behind by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in agreeing national strategy for HIV and sexual health according to the National Aids Trust NAT.

This World AIDS Day – 1 December – NAT are campaigning the Prime Minister to fulfil the UK’s UN commitment and put in place a strategy on HIV to replace the current one that expires at the end of 2010.

Deborah Jack,  NAT, CEO said: “Without strategic, political leadership on HIV, the issue will become sidelined and silenced by stigma.  Or at best, HIV will be only addressed as a health issue – disregarding the social context which must also be tackled if we are to respond effectively to the epidemic.

“A new national strategy is needed which takes account of the significant changes in the last decade in HIV testing and treatment, in health and social care provision, in legal rights, and in the epidemic itself.  New HIV diagnoses are now three times what they were ten years ago and we have yet to see evidence of a decline in rates of new infections in the UK.”

NAT is asking people to sign their e-petition calling for a national strategy to combat HIV.

But remember a puppy is for life, not just for Christmas!

Sign NAT’s e-petition:

You can sign our e-petition calling for a national strategy on HIV here.

Be an HIV activist:

NAT will  soon be launching a range of actions which individuals can take to help NAT transform the UK’s response to HIV.  If you are interested in signing up to be a HIV Activist and support NAT’s campaigns throughout the year, just email: HIVactivist@nat.org.uk

ENDS

Chris Grayling, Work and Pensions Minister

Work Capability Assessment WCA is not operating as well as it should and is letting down people that are genuinely ill according to an independent review commissioned by the Coalition Government.

The report, by Professor Malcolm Harrington was undertaken because the Department of work and Pensions DWP are flooded with appeals to assessments made by the Atos Healthcare, the private company that manage WCA: 40 per cent of the decisions are overturned in appeal

Chris Grayling, the Work and Pensions Minister, accepted the report’s conclusions and said: “the government would implement them in full.”

However, the National Aids Trust NAT said that they were concerned that the DWP still plan to go ahead and migrate 1.5 million incapacity benefit recipients on to ESA from February 2011: without fully considering Professor Harrington’s findings or how to implement them.

Deborah Jack, CEO of NAT, said: “NAT supports the recommendations of the independent review and we were extremely pleased to see some of our concerns included in the final report.

“Our research has found that the barriers to work experienced by people living with HIV, such as:  fluctuating symptoms, side-effects of treatment, depression, pain and fatigue are not fully taken into account by the WCA.

“As Professor Harrington notes, this is the first of five independent reviews of the WCA, and there is clearly a long way to go in order to address all of the issues that NAT and other disability organisations have raised around the WCA.”

The WCA is the test undertaken to determine whether a person is eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).  The WCA aims to identify claimants who have ‘limited capacity for work’ or ‘limited capacity for work-related activity’, so that they may receive the right support to help them live well and (where appropriate) return to work.

ENDS

Government plans to cut legal aid funding by 350 million will exclude the most vulnerable and obstruct the help offered by organisations like Citizens Advice Bureaux, say leading charities.

Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke’s proposals to cut access to legal aid for individuals pursuing employment cases, including cases of workplace discrimination and unfair dismissal has angered many charities.

Deborah Jack, CEO, of the National AIDS Trust NAT said: “The announcement comes just six weeks after the Equality Act came into effect, which introduced new legal protections against discrimination in employment for people with disabilities, including HIV.

“This appears to be a case of ‘what the Government giveth, the Government taketh away’, providing new rights and protections through legislation and then removing the means of asserting these rights.”

The changes would also affect people trying to access legal help in some immigration cases and those dealing with complex debt, benefit and housing issues.

Gillian Guy, Citizens Advice CEO said: “ Legal aid is not a deadweight on the state: to put the legal aid budget in perspective it’s only two weeks worth of public funding to the NHS.

For or every pound spent of the legal aid budget up to £10 pound is saved in other public services including the NHS.

Meanwhile, there is growing concern that Labour is proving to be inaffective in opposition as the Coalition Government forces through cuts to reduce the deficit, affecting the poorest in society most.

Ends

WORK CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT WCA fails to recognise the impact of HIV on the ability to work, according to a new research carried out by National AIDS Trust NAT.

The test was brought in to determine whether a person is eligible for Employment  Support Allowance ESA and has caused a rift between the government disability charities

Chris Grayling, employment minister commented this week that, three out of four people applying for ESA were fit for to work.  But charities say that the assessment will force sick people back into the work-force before they are ready.

NAT’s report Unseen disability, Unmet needs found that the WCA does not reflect the impact of fluctuating symptoms such as fatigue, depression and drug side-effects.

The report also found that there was a continued ignorance about HIV amongst medical assessors and decision makers, reducing the likelihood of a fair and accurate assessment on a claimant’s ability to work and need for disability-related benefits.

Figures show that as many as 68 per cent have failed the assessment. However, 40 per cent have had ESA granted after appeal, highlighting the poor standard of the assessments.

Deborah Jack, NAT, CEO, said: “HIV is a disability, and like many other disabilities, people living with HIV can have vastly varying experiences relating to their condition.  Whilst some find they can still work, many others find the impact of HIV or their treatment means employment is not an option at the moment and they need to claim disability related benefits.

‘As it currently stands, the WCA is based on an outdated model of disability which only recognises a narrow medically defined set of physical and mental impairments. Also, it does not appropriately acknowledge the fluctuating nature of the condition and the impact that low self esteem – due to HIV related stigma – can have on a person’s ability to work.”

Lizzie Iron, Citizens Advice head of welfare policy warned:”Seriously ill and disabled people are being severely let down by the crude approach of the Work Capability Assessment.

“The government urgently needs to address the problems with the test for ESA which are causing hardship to seriously ill people at a time when they most need support.”

NAT has submitted their finding to the Independent Review of WCA. It is hoped that they will be fully considered before any new rules are finalised and come into effect.

ENDS

To download the NAT report go: www.nat.org.uk

Key findings from the report include:

• The WCA does not take into consideration key HIV clinical markers, such as CD4 count.
• WCA decision makers often give greater weight to the opinions of those contracted to make the medical assessment, rather than HIV clinicians and other specialists.
• A wide range of problems with administration and communication of the WCA process materially disadvantage claimants, and the stress and pressure of the process impacts negatively on their health.
• Claimants going through the medical examination do not always have the opportunity to discuss the important issues around how their HIV affects their physical and mental health.

Case Study – Tim

Tim is a young man who applied for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) with the help of his aunt and an HIV specialist benefits adviser.  At the time of completing his ESA50 form, Tim’s CD4 count was 19.  Medical evidence from his doctor explained that at the time of diagnosis, Tim had a CD4 count of 0 and PCP, a form of pneumonia associated with a low CD4 count.

Despite providing information about his blood test results, these were not discussed at the medial examination.  The HCP’s record of the examination noticed, contradictorily, that Tim experienced ‘no side-effects’ but that he experienced diarrhoea as a result of his medication.  The HCP also concluded that Tim did not score any points under the incontinence descriptor.

Tim was found fit for work.  His doctor submitted further medical evidence but the case still ended up at appeal.  Tim’s adviser said that, “on the day, we won that appeal, without me having to say a word or even sit down…The judge looked up and said, “oh – ESA successful, he’s in the support group, that’s not a problem.”

Tim is now in the support group of ESA.

There has been a dramatic increase in poverty levels experienced by people living with HIV in recent years, according to research carried out by the NAT (National AIDS Trust) and Terrence Higgins Trust (THT).

The report ‘Poverty and HIV’ reveals that one in six people diagnosed HIV  experienced poverty between 2006 and 2009. The report also states that, without determined Government action the poverty crisis for people living with HIV is set to get worse.

New figures reveal, recipients of grants from the Crusaid Hardship Fund, now run by THT, had an average weekly income of just £42 per week – less than half of the income they had 10 years ago (£93) –  most had income at only 20 per cent of the average income for a single person and many have no income at all.

Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of THT said: “The level of poverty people with HIV are experiencing across the UK has dramatically increased over recent years. Where the Hardship Fund used to buy people a fridge or pay for respite care, now it mainly goes on basic survival, food, clothes, a bed.”

The report analyses the underlying reasons why people with HIV face poverty.  Over a quarter (29 per cent) of applications to the Hardship Fund cited the immigration system as the primary reason for poverty.

In October 2009, the Government support for single asylum seekers was reduced from £64.30 to £35.13 a week – just £5 a day. A further 17 per cent of applications said that problems relating to the benefits system were their main cause of hardship.  Problems included awaiting a benefit decision, changes to the benefit system or delays in receiving benefits they were entitled to.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT said: “ Charities are picking up the pieces of a poverty crisis in the UK, but there is only so much the sectors limited funds can do.  The Government needs to address the underlying causes of this hardship, some of which it has been responsible for creating.

“Granting asylum seekers the right to work after six months and ensuring people are not left in poverty while waiting for their benefits to be processed are two crucial steps that would release many people with HIV out of the poverty trap.”

The report identifies twenty recommendations that would address the root causes of poverty amongst people living with HIV.

ENDS

To read the report go to www.nat.ork.uk

Photo by Jacob Love

THE WIG PARTY 2010 is one of London’s most glamorous and exciting annual fundraising extravaganza’s for HIV. It attrracts an A-list party growd and for the first time, it is raising funds for NAT.

The glitzy, fabulous extravaganza that is the Wig Party came to life in the late 90s when a group of friends just wanted to wear a wig and indulge in some high kicking glamour for glamour’s sake.

As the years went by, the party grew by word of mouth and the Wig Party soon took on a life of its own.  Dannii Minogue said the Wig Party is: “The Most Heavenly Charity Party around.”

Tickets cost £30 and can be purchased from www.wigparty.org

A Pope Nope T-shirt slogan

AS POPE BENEDICT XVI touched down in Edinburgh marking the start of a four day state visit to the UK, the  National Aids Trust (NAT) and Family Planning Association (FPA) publish an open letter condemning his papal teaching on sexual health.

The two charities site the Pope’s views on condom use and same sex relationships as: “Irresponsible and discriminatory,” and that his statements and teachings on sexuality, sexual health and well-being are putting men and women’s health and lives in danger.

The letter claims that women are being killed and injured because they could not seek legal abortions in some countries and that condoms are crucial in the fight against HIV and STI’s,

They also claim that the Pope is using his position as a head of state to “incite and legitimise intolerance, prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”

The open letter, follows a stream of criticism from the media on how the Vatican has handled a string of child abuse scandals that have shaken the very foundations of the Catholic Church and shocked the world.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend an anti Pope rally outside Downing Street this Saturday where speakers will include: LGBT human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, Richard Dawkins, science writer,  Father Bernard Lynch and Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society.

Peter Tatchell, one of the organisers of the march, said: “The Pope has attacked same-sex marriages as ‘evil’ and vilified supporters of gay equality as ‘gravely immoral.’ He has also denounced homosexual equality as a ‘deviant trend’ and condemned same-sex love as being ‘without any social value.”

ENDS

Open letter from Family Planning Association (FPA) and National AIDS Trust (NAT)

We are using the Pope’s visit to the UK to highlight the discriminatory nature of his statements and teachings on sexuality and sexual health and wellbeing.

By teaching that modern contraception is ‘intrinsically evil’, the Catholic Church prevents women, including married women, from making choices about whether or not to have children, and how to plan and space their children. This leads to unwanted pregnancies, resulting in unwanted children, or abortion. Particularly in developing countries it also results in women being unable to limit the number of pregnancies during their lives, often leading to disability or premature death.

The Catholic Church’s position on abortion puts women’s health and lives in danger. Evidence from across the world and throughout history has shown that preventing women from accessing safe and legal abortion does not stop abortions. Instead, women facing unplanned pregnancies take desperate actions, including seeking illegal and dangerous abortions. Approximately 70,000 women a year die as a result of unsafe abortion and hundreds of thousands of others are severely injured and disabled.

The Pope’s teachings on abortion serve to perpetuate this situation. The Vatican has used its position in international bodies such as the UN to promote its position on contraception and abortion and to thwart progress recognising women’s sexual and reproductive rights; this impact is felt by women across the world, regardless of their faith.

We are extremely concerned about the Pope’s comments on the use of condoms, and particularly the assertion he made in March 2009 that the use of condoms increased the spread of HIV.

When used correctly and consistently male and female condoms offer protection against all STIs, including HIV. HIV remains a life-threatening illness and can be associated with significant stigma and exclusion. The use of condoms is a crucial part of the fight against the spread of HIV and it is, at best, irresponsible to oppose this.

We oppose the discrimination expressed by the Pope about same sex relationships. In 2008, the Pope used his end of year message to senior Vatican staff to argue that the world needed protecting from homosexuality in the same way it needed protecting from climate change.

As a religious leader and a head of state the Pope wields significant influence. It is unacceptable for him to use his position to incite and legitimise intolerance, prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people across the world.