Paul Burstow MP

Minister for Care Services

Department of Health

Richmond House

79 Whitehall

London SW1A 2NS

27^th July 2012

Dear Paul,

I am writing to you about a report that has been brought to my attention by NAT[1], who are a leading campaigning body on HIV.

NAT recently conducted a survey of HIV social care in England and, although the survey did show that a good range of services is provided across the country, there were some specific concerns that they have asked me to raise with you.

Despite HIV no longer being a terminal condition, people with HIV have a specific set of needs and many require support at some point in their lives. Access to low-cost social care interventions at an early stage can prevent problems from escalating to crisis point.

It is, therefore, important that local councils continue to fund open-access services for people living with HIV provided by voluntary sector organisations.

NAT’s survey shows that the economic crisis is affecting funding for HIV care, with 39% of local councils not spending all of the funds allocated by central Government for HIV social care on these services. The research also shows increased barriers faced by people living with HIV trying to access support.

Over 80% of councils now require people to meet an eligibility threshold of ‘substantial’ need in order to access services, which severely limits access to care for many people living with HIV.

From these findings NAT recommends that the following measures are taken:

• Ensure the continuation of the HIV/AIDs support funding line in the Formula Grant post 2015.

• Urgently publish the individual notional funding amounts each local council will receive for 2013-14 and 2014-15 so that local councils are aware of this funding and people living with HIV are able to hold them to account.

• Ensure the additional funding for HIV social care services currently provided by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) is not lost when PCT responsibilities are transferred to Clinical Commissioning Groups and the NHS Commissioning Board in April 2013.

Brighton and Hove City Council is committed to spending its allocation on providing social care for people living with HIV. In the last year and in this current year it is spending approximately 50% of the allocation to fund voluntary sector organisations to provide services for people living with HIV. 

These services include structured day care, women and families support service, counselling, long term condition management, money and welfare rights advice and support for self-help groups.  They also ensure that training in HIV for generic social care staff is provided and updated.  A specialist HIV social worker provides this training for social work teams and a voluntary sector provider ensures that staff from the range of agencies providing social care are trained in HIV issues.

The Council is working with the Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and the Sussex HIV Network to ensure that a comprehensive care pathway for people living with HIV is maintained following the transfer of the public health function.

As an MP for an area with a high prevalence of HIV, I fully support NAT’s recommendations which would give my local authority even greater scope to deliver the best possible care for people living with HIV in the future.  

I hope that you can ensure the Government takes action to help secure better access to social care for people living with HIV in Britain and look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas MP Brighton Pavilion

Read the ministerial response here.