Background

The Royal College of Nursing’s ‘Think Positive’ campaign has been launched in response to the growing need for nurses working outside of HIV and sexual health services to be familiar with the changing needs of people living with HIV to ensure they practice and communicate sensitively.

Wherever you work in nursing and whatever your place in the healthcare team, you are now more likely than ever to care for someone with HIV.

The development of drugs effective against HIV (anti-retrovirals) has ensured that, if diagnosed, HIV can be managed like many other chronic diseases. With patients living longer, they are more likely to require primary and secondary care outside HIV clinics. They also need support coping with a range of issues such as money and employment.

Generally, the standards of medical, nursing and social care in the UK are excellent for people living with HIV. However, 25 years after the first reported cases of HIV infections, some people who are HIV-positive say they are still being made to feel different by doctors, nurses and other workers. This discrimination can reveal itself in a number of ways, ranging from poor advice to denial of certain treatments.

The results of different surveys show that stigma, prejudice and discrimination have been experienced by 25-50% of people living with HIV whilst accessing care. Whether that stigma and discrimination is real or perceived to be real makes no difference. Either way, we must do more to make the services we provide more sensitive to these patients’ needs.

As an organisation that promotes excellence in care, the Royal College of Nursing is committed to improving the knowledge and skills that its members have regarding HIV care, and to encouraging a change in attitudes that will help end the stigma that continues to surround this disease. We believe nurses must be equipped with these skills regardless of where they work, and should strive to communicate and practice sensitively.

Wherever you work in nursing, please make sure you ‘think positive’:

• Know the facts about HIV
• Care for the person, not just the disease
• Practice and communicate sensitively
• Know which charities and groups offer extra support for patients
• Contact your local HIV service for advice on best practice