Recommended standards for HIV services

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[Moderators note: This is to introduce you all the recommended

standards for HIV services by UK NHS. A copy of this report is

presented at the following url.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/62/71/04106271.pdf

If you have any difficulty to down load this document, please feel

free to contact me for a copy. Moderator]

Recommended standards for NHS HIV services

These recommended standards are the result of a major project

managed by the Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health

(MedFASH). During their development, we benefited from the

involvement of a wide range of organisations and individuals who

volunteered their expertise, time and commitment. Their contribution

has enabled us to produce recommended standards which are broadly

supported by those providing, commissioning and using HIV services.

In setting up and managing this project, we drew on learning from

earlier initiatives concerned with standards and networks for HIV

services. We also undertook a parallel project to facilitate the

development of HIV service networks. Working together in networks

can help clinicians and other providers to meet shared standards of

care, promoting service equity for people with HIV regardless of

where they live. Delivery through service networks is therefore a

cornerstone of these recommended standards, and users of the

standards may find it helpful to refer to our guide to HIV service

network development, to be published later in 2003.

MedFASH exists to promote excellence in the prevention and

management of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. We are

grateful to have had this opportunity to influence the quality of

NHS HIV services in England and we hope that, through implementation

of the standards at local level, our efforts will contribute to

improving the health and quality of life of people with HIV. We are

eager for feedback on how the recommended standards are being used

and would like to know about successes, but also about improvements

which could be made to the standards in future. This must remain a

living document, regularly reviewed to ensure it remains relevant

and up-to-date

..

Ruth Lowbury

Executive Director

Medical Foundation for AIDS & Sexual Health (MedFASH)

Contents

Executive summary ..........................6

Table of recommended standards..............9

Chapter 1: Setting the scene...............11

Introduction ..............................11

Why standards .............................12

What are HIV and AIDS? ....................13

Who gets HIV and how? ....................13

The personal and social cost of HIV........15

The development of new standards for NHS HIV

services...................................16

The

standards .................................17

Supporting evidence .......................18

Scope of the standards ....................18

Service user choice.......................19

Primary healthcare ........................19

People in rison..... ......................20

Services for asylum seekers ..............20

Services for injecting drug users .........21

Services for people with HIV and other medical

conditions ................................21

Mental healthcare..........................21

Reducing inequalities .....................21

Involving people with HIV .................22

Training and continuing professional

development...............22

Professional roles and HIV specialists.....23

Standards for England .....................25

Links to other government initiatives .....25

How to achieve and maintain standars.......26

Chapter 2: The recommended standards ......27

Format of the reccommended standards ......28

Standard for managed HIV service networks .29

Standard 1: HIV prevention.................34

Standard 2: Early diagnosis of people with HIV.41

Standard 3: Empowering people with HIV ........46

Standard 4: Clinical care of people with HIV ..50

Standard 5: Primary healthcare for people with HIV ...54

Standard 6: Social care integrated with healthcare for people with

HIV .........59

Standard 7: Sexual healthcare for people with

HIV ........................................64

Standard 8: HIV and pregnancy...............68

Standard 9: Care of families with HIV.......74

Standard 10: Emergency care of people with HIV.. 79

Standard 11: Care of people with HIV during admission to

hospital......84

Standard 12: Respite, rehabilitation and palliative care for people

with HIV....88

Appendix A: Further reading ...............92

Appendix B: Glossary of abbreviations ....108

Appendix C: Membership of the advisory group and project

team ........110

Appendix D: Consultation on development of the recommended

standards....113

http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/62/71/04106271.pdf