Listening to the experiences of people living with HIV
We joined a local HIV support group to listen to people's experiences of health and social care. Their stories show cases of compassionate care, as well as highlighting areas for improvement.
Summary
While specialist HIV clinics received high praise for providing respectful and dignified care, people reported significant challenges when interacting with general practitioners.
Key issues identified include a perceived lack of clinical knowledge regarding medication interactions, communication barriers during the booking process, and instances of stigma from primary care staff.
Key findings
-
Lack of knowledge in wider healthcare teams may sometimes lead to issues such as not understanding the wider impacts of HIV on a persons health.
-
Some people find that stigma of HIV leads to their unrelated health concerns being attributed to their HIV status.
-
Primary care triage processes are perceived as invasive and distressing, as patients feel uncomfortable disclosing their HIV status or personal medical information to non-medically trained receptionists.
Recommendations
- Healthcare services should educate their staff on HIV, its specific impacts on health, and standard infection control procedures to address perceived gaps in clinician awareness.
- When faced with knowledge gaps, clinicians are encouraged to consult external professionals who specialise in HIV management.
- Services using triage systems should clearly communicate what the process is to reduce distress and confusion
- Providers must maintain a professional and caring manner so that patients feel respected, understood, and treated with dignity.
Downloads
If you need the reports in a different format, please email hello@healthwatchdudley.co.uk or call 03000 111 001.
File download
Listening to the experiences of people living with HIV
"If I tell the doctors about something, they say it’s my HIV, but my viral load is very low. Some doctors don’t understand that.”
