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| HIV on rise as funding falls |
Health bosses scrambles to make
best use of declining HIV investment
PATIENTS infected with HIV are living longer thanks to advances
in drug treatment.
But many may suffer brain damage and mental illness from increased
exposure to the highly toxic antiretroviral therapy, a Camden Council
scrutiny panel has found.
The revelations were part of a six-month probe into HIV by the cross-party
group, called the HIV Funding Scrutiny Panel.
And the findings will change the way HIV funds are spent in Camden,
which has one of the highest infection rates in the country.
The panel discovered the number of patients receiving treatment
at Hampstead’s Royal Free Hospital has doubled to 1,400 since
1999.
But as drugs used to fight the disease become more effective and
patients live longer, the risk of being exposed to toxic chemicals
used to fight the illness increases – and often leads to liver
failure and can cause mental illness.
The report concludes that a longer life does not necessarily mean
a higher quality of life.
And while patients are living longer, central government funding
is falling.
Cash for HIV services, called Aids Support Grants (ASGs), in Camden
has been cut from £800,000 to £450,000 since 2001.
The scrutiny panel criticised recent cuts and called for the council
to lobby Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt to restore ASGs for local
authorities. They called for a funding overhaul, recommending more
social care to meet the chronic needs of people with HIV later on
in life and less generic care at the earlier stages of the illness.
And they also promised to change the care given by social workers
from a general support role to a specialist role addressing brain
damage and mental health concerns.
The report also found that complementary therapy – including
acupuncture and homeopathic remedies – can help patients cope
with HIV.
Its findings led to the council appointing an HIV ‘champion’
– a borough commissioner who will help plan services and raise
the profile and awareness of HIV services in Camden. The champion
will be appointed in April 2006.
Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson, who chaired the panel, said:
“I am delighted that Camden has responded so positively to
the recommendations of our investigation into the future of HIV
services. Camden has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the
country, and this looks set to rise.”
Cllr Simpson, who was a volunteer at the leading King’s Cross
HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust in Gray’s Inn Road,
added: “All evidence suggests the figures will rise. We have
more people living in Camden from African countries (where there
a high numbers of people suffering from Aids), safer sex messages
are not getting through and drug users are continuing to share needles.”
Cllr Maggie Cosin, executive member for adult social care and health,
said policy had to adapt. She said: “As the realities of living
with HIV change, Camden must change to give the right care to the
right people. Funding for HIV services has reduced so we need to
make sure we are getting the best value from our reduced funds.” |
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