+mepositive about change
+ME, is a community based, volunteer and peer-led organisation providing support to all those living with HIV in Barnsley. Recently formed we are working to become a registered charity.
We aim to work in partnership with agencies such as, Barnsley’s Local Primary Care Trust, Social Services, Barnsley’s District General Hospital GUM Department CIC/EPP Expert Patients Programme and other voluntary organisations.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote the well-being of people living with HIV in Barnsley and help make life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience, giving a valued point to every day.
Principles
Our principles are: Our values and principles underpin what we do, why we do it, and how we achieve our mission.
Values
Our work is guided by a set of values:
Enabling: we enable people living with HIV to live independently and exercise choice
Influential: we draw our strength from the voices of people living with HIV and ensure those voices are heard.
Dynamic: we are innovative driven by clients and the impact our services has on their lives.
Caring: we are passionate about what we do and care about each individual.
Expert: we are authoritative, trusted and quality orientated.
The Vision
In order to identify opportunities that further our aims locally we must understand the challenges that we face nationally and internationally.
Worldwide Picture
-Developed nations increasingly talk of People Living with HIV as a chronic manageable illness for 25 or more years.
-Developing and Un-Developed nations continue to talk of People Dying of AIDS.
-The Gap is widening worldwide for each person starting Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
-More than 23 million people have little or no access to effective treatment.
-Migration for health reasons is a 21st Century reality.
UK National Trends
-There is increasing pressure from central government for the statutory sector to engage voluntary and community agencies in the provision of services.
-HIV is being increasingly viewed as a long term Chronic Disease that is manageable, with appropriate care pathways and protocols. HIV will be ‘normalised’, losing its special care status in the process.
-Stigma, Isolation and Criminalisation issues are growing as People Living with HIV are increasingly forced to disclose their status more widely in order to access services locally.
-Agencies supporting people living with HIV are under increasing financial pressure.
-75% of people polled said that they would not give to an HIV Charity
-The UK Coalition of People Living with HIV was forced to close and file for bankruptcy as funding streams dried up.
-THT, Britain’s most famous HIV Support Agency re-brands to focus on the wider sexual health arena.
South Yorkshire
-Increasing population of Barnsley is contributing to over-spending of health care provision in the borough, and consequential long term reductions in the Primary Care Trust’s health service budget.
-Voluntary and community sector engagement processes favor larger and nationally organised charities with the bureaucracy to meet the prescribed standards.
-The incidence of new infections continues to rise above the national average mirroring with the influx of new populations; Refugee and Asylum Seekers dispersed from central reception centers and general apathy amongst the adult heterosexual, sexually active young people and gay communities.
-THT has established bases with charities in South Yorkshire providing Chlamydia Screening and Treatment for Doncaster, Bassetlaw, Rotherham and Barnsley focusing on young people, with the intention to widen services competing in all areas.
The Board and Volunteers
The members of +ME are currently the Board of Trustees, who are therefore both legally and financially liable for the management of +ME’s affairs. Current Trustees Members are:
Mr Scott Wilson – Chairman
Mr David Allen – Secretary
Mrs Katie Hudson – Service User Representative
Mr Karl Cooper – Vice Chair/Treasure
Mr. Scott Wilson comes from a background of social care and housing in the North East of England with 10 years experience working with people with social, economic and mental health problems. Scott is a qualified counsellor supporting people with drug and alcohol addictions and has manged teams of staff supportin families fleeing domestic violence, people with mental health issues and young offenders.
Mr. David Allen has worked within the Health Service for many years and is currently a health advisor at Barnsley’s GUM department he has also worked at the GUM department at the LGI in Leeds and The Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield on the infectious diseases unit.
Mrs. Kathryn Hudson full time mother and volunteer with several years experience supporting voluntary orginisations.
Mr. Karl Cooper was instrumental in the resurgence of Shield’s fortunes and has led by example bringing to bear his considerable talents in the development of services.
The Support Team & Volunteers
Currently we have no paid staff we rely heavily on our volunteers, from counselors to fund raisers, receptionists and administrative tasks they help to run services their roles are many and varied
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and range in age from 10 to 68.
Our Priorities 2008/13
Promote equality and enable people living with HIV make full contributions to our economy, society and neighborhoods.
Maximize healthy life expectancy and promote health, independence and wellbeing for all people living with HIV in Barnsley
Achieve greater social inclusion of the most disadvantaged people living with HIV and challenge the causes of exclusion.
Achieve a step change in effectiveness and efficiency, in which a crucial element will be a greater focus on people living with HIV as customers and contributors to all that we do.
CLIENT SERVICES
Information and Support
+ME has updates of information and magazines, clients could obtain for themselves many are reluctant to have such material delivered to their homes because they have not told the people they live with about their HIV Status.
We will soon be inviting guest speakers to keep us abreast of developments in medication and treatment whilst preparing local information sheets.
Drop In Services
Both informal drop-in and formally arranged home support is available from people living with HIV trained to provide support.
Community Services
+ME regularly receive donations of clothes, toys and food which are freely available to our clients when we have them. We signpost services, help provide benefit advice and assist in plans for the future development and well-being.
Direct Services
We provide additional basic help with maintenance such as decorating or gardening on a one off basis for clients this is dependent on availability and weather conditions.
1-2-1 Support
+ME is working to provide a volunteer led service that offers people living with HIV short term personal support through a difficult period; and occasionally long-term befriending support where a clear need is identified this is still in the planning stages but will be available shortly.
Regular Social Excursions
+ME believes in social integration, encouraging people to live normal lives and engage with mainstream services. Our social activities regularly include trips to Canon Hall and The Sculpture Park, local art galleries, days out and family day trips to the sea side.
Being Responsible
Criminalisation of HIV is a major concern we advice people to ensure that they protect themselves and those they are intimate with. In support of this we provide a range of condoms and lubricants supported by leaflets.
CIC/EPP & Positive Self Management Programmes (PSMP)
CIC/EPP and The Positive Self Management Programmes are part of the expert patient programmes designed specifically for people living with long term conditions. The duration of the courses are six and seven weeks The PSMP is designed for people living with HIV. It helps gain an understanding of the tools they need to help manage their condition and communicate their needs and wishes to those that support them including the healthcare team.
+ME have a fully accredited assessor and tutor trainer we are currently working towards training and delivering more courses locally there are additional overheads when purchasing these services. In addition to the Positive Self Management EPP Course we are able to deliver, The Looking After Me Carers Course, and the standard Chronic Disease Self Management Course.
The Future and Funding
+ME is a voluntary sector service the majority of its funding comes from the private sector, the current financial state, competing government initiatives, the lack of ring fenced HIV/AIDS support funds and political priorities in sexual health means that HIV is often the Cinderella of The National Health Service.
The purchase of services by Barnsley’s Metropolitan Borough Council, and small corporate donations are the main sources of funding in Barnsley. +ME’s aims are modest but financially challenging.
Throughout 2008/09 we aim to implement the next Phase of our support services by opening expanding services under the banner local services for local people. Whilst continuing to professionalise our volunteer services through additional training both in-house and externally, funds permitting.
The development plan is based on statistics and research from our current services and users living in Barnsley but accessing services from Sheffield over the 12 months, and this provides an insight into just how far we have come and how much your support is needed for the people of Barnsley.
Here are some comments taken from our most recent meetings:
"I have made a new friend we exchanged phone details with one another we now meet up regularly this was not available to me before because I did not want to travel to Sheffield, I am much happier because I have local support".
"I feel happy because people listen to what I’ve got to say and having somebody visit me in my home made all the difference"
"I feel that I’m part of the decision making process and services are more in line with my needs"
The feedback indicates the change local services are having and the change we can have on positive people’s lives but many still feel isolated and afraid in accessing services or speak about being positive in fear of becoming persecuted (highlighted by the criminalization of HIV). A small number of our African clients still fear being recognized and are reluctant at first to access services, meeting up at preferred locations has gone done extremely well and visiting clients in their homes who have small children and mobility problems has been very well received.
Contact Us on Barnsley 01226 320148 for more information
