ASHM Report Back
Clinical posts from members and guests of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) from various international medical and scientific conferences on HIV, AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexual health.
Introduction to the REACH programme
Leah Williams walked us through the ways in which her service created small changes to their service that resulted in greater outcomes for vulnerable groups.
The most vulnerable people living with HIV:- those 10% not on treatment or linked into services were identified and then the barriers to them accessing health care were identified , such as the need for a GP referral and the restrictions surrounding Activity Based Funding which means they can be discharged from a service if they do not attend 2 successive appointments.
Flexible service provision is the key to accessing these hard to reach groups: - drop in clinics and small but important changes such as assistance from administrative assistants/ reception staff when vulnerable changes to attend.
The take home message was : Tweak your service to meet the needs of vulnerable groups rather than asking those patients to access care that seems inflexible to them.