Getting HIV patients back into life-saving care
Nearly 200 people living with HIV across south east London have been helped back into life-saving care, thanks to an innovative local NHS initiative.
Launched by the South East London Integrated Care System and the South London Office of Specialised Services, the project has seen 197 people living with HIV reconnect with vital treatment after a period of being out of care. Following World AIDS Day (1 December), this achievement shines a spotlight on local efforts to tackle health inequalities and improve outcomes for people living with HIV.
The programme, run by King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trusts, as well as Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, was created to support people to re-engage with their HIV care and re-start taking antiretroviral medicines.
Antiretroviral medicines work by stopping the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage. Without this, people living with HIV are at greater risk of contracting serious infections.
Taking a personalised, compassionate approach, the project offered tailored support to address competing needs that often pushed patients out of care, including unemployment, alcohol misuse, mental health issues, and substance use.
Highlights of the project:
- Lives transformed: 197 people living with HIV reconnected with treatment, improving their health and reducing the risk of HIV-related complications.
- Tackling inequality: 70% of those re-engaged are from Black or Black British backgrounds, demonstrating the programme’s impact on addressing local health inequalities.
- Cutting costs: University Hospital Lewisham found that the inpatient cost of admission for a person with an advanced HIV infection can be as high as £114,000 with an average cost of £18,195. By bringing patients back into care, the project not only saves lives but also improves cost effectiveness for the NHS in the long term.
Speaking about how the project helps people living with HIV, Dr Goli Haidari, a consultant in HIV and sexual health for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Once people living with HIV visit our clinic, we can address everything they are worried about and often it’s simple things that we can do, like housing letters, referring them for hardship funds and peer support. Once they come in, we can definitely improve the quality of their lives.”
Patients who returned to care, overall, had better health outcomes achieved through effective treatment and support.