WHAT
ARE WE DOING?
2007 Conference of People Living with HIV
This year, a major UK conference for people living with HIV is being held in London on 19th September. This is the third conference of its kind, the previous two having been very successful. In the lead-up to the event and to help to publicise and guide the way forward for the conference, focus groups are being held in different cities in Scotland and other parts of the UK. In the focus groups you will be able to discuss your views with others safely and confidentially. Your support and interest is vital, and you are invited to the -
Glasgow Focus GroupMonday 30th July 2007 from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm (tea and sandwiches)
What are the three most important questions or concerns for people with HIV in Glasgow?
In the offices of
Glasgow
Opportunities George House
36 North Hanover
Street
Glasgow G1 2AD
For
more information, please contact –
Mildred
Zimunya, (Waverley Care Glasgow)
0141211
0192, or 0795 6620 461, or
Roy
Kilpatrick, HIV Scotland – 0131 558 3713
Promoted by HIV Scotland
Living
Well with HIV, Glasgow
See poster & map
 |
Supported by |
The latest surprise news is that Phace Scotland has decided to "merge" with Terrence Higgins Trust. There are very mixed feelings about this and we are waiting to see what we hear at the meeting of those living with HIV and Phace Scotland on Tue, 15 Aug, 2006 at 2-4pm. Read the views on the subject at:
www.hivscotland.com
www.phacescotland.org
www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/NewsAndEvents/ViewArticles.aspx?f=h&al=t&pid=5201
Third Force News, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations had a analytical piece on the merger which commented on the
Body Positive Strathclyde went into receivership early in 2005 and has left a great gap in support for people living with hiv in the West of Scotland. At last something is on the move, at least for Glasgow anyway. Read on ....
April, 2006
There was a meeting organised by the Glasgow Health Board
on 21 April, 2006 to give user feedback on the survey which it carried
out amongst people living with hiv attending the Brownlee Unit at
Glasgow's Gartnavel General Hospital. Read
the executive summary of the report.
At the end the HB asked the views of the 11 + participants what they thought about having a new post of a designated worker at the Brownlee Unit working with people living with hiv. There was a mixed response, because people missed Body Positive Strathclyde so much. Questions were raised about whether one person could carry all the roles that were identified for them: Meeting newly diagnosed, helping people contact appropriate services both within and without the NHS, organising peer support,
May/June, 2006
A second meeting took place with all
of the agencies and organisations involved in delivering HIV
support services to these individuals. As a result
of this a two additional options were added. The one which seems to
have found much favour is described below. [Taken from NHS Glasgow
& Clyde Report]
Option 3 – Peer/Social Support Development Post
There was criticism that the full post (Option 1) was too ambitious
and wide-ranging for one person to execute effectively. In addition,
some of the feedback participants felt that members of the Brownlee
Counseling and Support Team, who have a multi-disciplinary function,
were already carrying out several components of this proposed role,
particularly in terms of signposting. Therefore it was suggested
that the post suggested in Option 1, be truncated and concentrate
only on the development of a Peer Support Project, loosely reproducing
the service provided at the Bloomsbury clinic in London, which has
two main strands.
a)providing a HIV positive person for patients to talk to on a one-to-one
basis
b)planning and arranging regular social events, which could be focused
on a specific HIV-related topic e.g. treatment, raising awareness of
services.
The roles and responsibilities of the worker would include:
The recruitment, management, co-ordination, training and supervision
of the Peer Support volunteers
Planning and organising social evenings including eliciting themes
for discussion from the patient group and inviting participants and
speakers.
Facilitating user involvement processes
Option 2, consisted of an enhanced profile of existing service provision.
These options are out for consultation and a copy of the consultation for is attached. (Open this file to read, or print.)
More to follow shortly ... Meantime, if you would like to get involved or know more contact Ian. We have started a group that is looking to provide support for people living with hiv in the West of Scotland, and if you would like to know more email me.
Here are a few statistics about the Leicester Conference, which seems a long way off now, but was the catalyst for something happening in Glasgow at least. . Participants to the conference: there were 21 from Scotland. Breakdown: 11 Edinburgh; 5 Glasgow; 4 Dundee; 1 Grampian. 19 were counted at our meeting of whom 14 put their names on a list saying that they would like to be contacted.
If there is anyone else of the 4k or so PWHAs out there who would like to be kept in contact please send an email to Ian. Tell all your +ve friends in Scotland about this site.
Why not go to the Bulletin Board and send a message. Perhaps your reactions to the Leicester Conference and especially the Scottish meeting.
How about telling about being a PWHA where you live. .. or anything else you fancy: click on Bulletin Board on menu as an experiment.
News:
The HIV Support Group has been meeting regularly at the Sandyford Initiative, 2 Sandyford Pl, Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G3 7NB (map & travel) , every. See link for contact detail. Topics that have been aired at the meetings include Starting a Course at College, coping with drugs when at college, drug holidays, photography
If you are HIV+ you are invited to attend. If you would like more information, please contact Ian. You will be assured of a safe and friendly environment to meet only others who are HIV+. This one of the Sandyford's Patient Support and Feedback Initiatives. We now have a core group of 5 people willing to and experienced in providing support for others. We are getting somewhere. Come along.
Since the meeting on 2 Dec, 2004, there have been several more meetings to try and take the control of Body Positive Strathclyde back into the hands of the members instead of a board whose members can be counted on less than the fingers of one hand and who have about the same number of years of living with HIV amongst them.
We have been looking for a contact in the Highlands and Reach Out Highland www.reachouthighland.org.uk/ seems to fit the bill: more details to follow. They have not responded to an email, does anyone know anything about them?
The UK Coalition have put a link to our web site and have been very supportive in getting our network going. In fact, they paid for the Scottish participants to attend the Leicester conference.
We now have a domain name: www.cspn.org.uk
Glasgow: the Sandyford Initiative had an Open Day on Tues 30 Nov, 2004. from 1pm on. One of our members introduced the network & talked about World Aids Day.
World Aids Day Events in Aberdeen & Glasgow. Good reports have been heard about these events: does anyone have any details?
Phace Scotland Grampian - I met with Leslie & Mark from Grampian. They are having an Open Day for their new premises in January (I think): we are all invited. I'll keep you posted. Would you like to have a N.E. Network meeting that day? Let me know on the Bulletin Board.
"generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous", David Hume (1711-76), Scots philosopher.
Best wishes,
Ian Strang.
