SEXUAL HEALTH
Removing some of the stigma of HIV and normalising testing is also important. Warriner
suggests moves such as
conducting HIV testing at a GP’s surgery or another community setting, rather than people having to go to the hospital.
Low levels of diagnosis are due to both the patient’s reluctance to get tested, stem- ming from their denial that it could happen to them, and the health sector providing in- adequate awareness, access to services and information, he suggested.
He added: “It’s a whole mixture. Partly it’s because people don’t think they’ve put themselves at risk. ‘It happens to other people’. Some of it’s actually the health sector providing awareness about getting tested and where you can get tested. People being able to access those services; if you work Monday to Friday from 8am till 6pm, where can you go outside those hours to get a test if you’ve put yourself at risk?
“Also, it’s about wider health professionals having an increased understanding around HIV; if someone keeps coming to the GP with a persistent skin problem actually they may need a HIV test.”
Treatment
Although prevention is a priority, making sure that accessible and confi dential treat- ment is provided, despite cuts in spending,
is vital to reduce the viral load and will reduce the risk of passing the virus onto other people.
Warriner said: “The best scenario is to stop people getting infected in the fi rst place. But for people who are on treatment, it’s making sure we’ve got them on the most appropriate treatment, they’re receiving the medical and nursing care, they’re ad- hering to the treatment, they know about practicing safer sex, and not passing the virus on to other people.
“It’s a time where we are facing fi nancial constraints across all health sectors, yet still making sure that people have access to effective HIV treatment and the most ap- propriate drugs for them.”
Future forward
Warriner was impressed with the current progress of the new launch, and believes working on all aspects of HIV risk and in- fection is the best way to continue THT’s vital services and support.
“It’s certainly got people talking about pre- vention again, it’s defi nitely raised it on the agenda, and it’s gained a fresh approach about how we do prevention work in the UK,” he said.
“We’re really driving at accessible services and testing. Prevention has got to be at the
Warriner said: “When HIV fi rst started, it was poster campaigns, leafl ets through people’s doors, adverts in the press; how well would they work now? Possibly they would with an older generation. But for younger people, who are very technically minded, and used to using IT, we need to engage people in different ways.
“Some of this boils down to how you bring HIV into education at schools. It’s breaking some of the myths and beliefs in society.”
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national health executive Sep/Oct 11 | 89
forefront. This ties in around other things, such as people getting STIs having an in- creased risk of HIV, so campaigning and delivering HIV and STI testing services and making sure contraception services are available for women is important.
“We’re looking at a holistic approach around it: campaigning and lobbying and working for people who are living with HIV so they don’t experience stigma and dis- crimination.”
When considering how THT can drive this campaign forward, new innovations in technology are being utilised.
Promotion of prevention is increasingly in- cluding the use of the internet, apps, smart phones, and social media.
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