The UK now faces a new challenge: how to ensure that services adapt to the complex needs of people living with HIV.
More people than ever are being diagnosed with HIV who are aged 50+, and we are increasingly seeing those who have been treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) able to grow older with the condition. As a result, their care and support needs change with age, and services must therefore adapt to be more holistic in their approach.
This document outlines the concept of ‘Whole Person Care’, which we believe care pathways, service delivery and funding should be based around.
Whole Person Care represents support and treatment that does not simply treat HIV from a medical perspective, but recognises the many other social, economic, employment, and physical and mental health needs that are associated with the condition. Crucially, Whole Person Care complements and supports the direction of travel set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View, particularly in regards to improving patients’ control over their own care and placing more emphasis on both community services and public health.