Islanders hit by HIV travel to UK to avoid stigma

Friday 29 September 2017

Islanders affected by HIV and AIDS are travelling to the UK for testing and treatment because of the stigma still present in the island, the President of an LGBTQ+ charity has said.

Liberate’s Vic Tanner-Davy says that many people do not feel comfortable using Jersey’s sexual health (GUM) clinic due to privacy concerns.

The waiting corridor for the clinic is within full view of other patients entering the hospital’s Gwyneth Huelin wing, which could act as a deterrent to seeking help for HIV/AIDS or other matters related to sexual health, Mr Tanner-Davy told Express.

“If you’re having to go in there for something very personal, you are seen by the public. You may be going in there for something very delicate, and something you don’t want the whole island to know about,” he explained. 

Those confidentiality concerns combined with a “very real” sense of stigma still at play in the island over HIV/AIDS have left some feeling that their only choice is to seek help in the UK.

Pictured: Jersey General Hospital's GUM clinic is within full view of members of the public, which can be embarrassing for STI patients.

“We do know of islanders that are going off-island because they are worried about confidentiality. That may be their own personal worry, it may not be a reality, but It takes us back to the days of the 1980s.

“The very reason that charities like the Jersey AIDS Relief Group were set up was because people were going off-island in those early days when AIDS first reared its head because of the stigma attached to it. It’s a shame it’s almost come full circle and it’s still happening now.”

There are also struggles on a practical level. The GUM clinic is only currently open on Tuesday (male sexual health concerns), Wednesdays (female) and Thursdays (mixed) between the hours of 17:00 and 18:30, with waiting lists habitually stretching from six to over 20 people.

Those timings could also be a barrier to receiving the appropriate help when it is needed most, although people who think they are at risk of HIV exposure can have a Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) at the Emergency Department, which can be initiated at any time, and individual appointments can also be arranged on weekdays outside of the three clinic sessions.

Pictured: Current clinic opening times mean that those who may need tests or treatment after the weekend will need to make an appointment or attend the Emergency Department in order to be seen.

“If someone’s had a night out on Friday or Saturday night, it’s key that you can deliver those services on the Monday morning. Sometimes you need to see somebody immediately because of something that’s happened when you’ve been out… There’s some improvement that could be done there too,” Mr Tanner-Davy commented.

Now Liberate are hoping to work with the Health Department to help rectify these issues in the building of the £466m Future Hospital, where they hope the new GUM clinic will be made accessible through a discreet entrance that does not differentiate between patients with concerns of a sexual nature or otherwise.

The charity says it has already had a “really really positive” initial meeting with Project Director Bernard Place, and are encouraging others to put forward their views too. 

“Don’t feel that you won’t be listened to or that it’s a waste of time to do it. If you feel strongly that you’ve had an experience in the hospital that wasn’t good, then feed that back to them and explain why and they can make sure that it doesn’t happen in the new build,” Mr Tanner-Davy urged.

Pictured: Liberate are aiming to educate more islanders on the survival prospects for HIV/AIDS patients to help remove some of the stigma and encourage more people to get tested. (Chris Jackson/PA)

Describing the meeting with Liberate as "helpful", Mr Place added: "We recognise their concerns about the current layout of the outpatients area, including the GUM Clinic. We were able to reassure Liberate that the design for the new Hospital will not involve a similar approach and hope we can have further discussions in the future. We welcome the opportunity to engage with interested parties as plans for the new Hospital move forward.”

While dialogue with the hospital project team is still in its early stages, Liberate say they would love to initiate a public-charity partnership in order to help provide both sexual testing and counselling services for gender therapy in future, as the charity’s size means that they don’t have the funds to go it alone.

In the nearer future, however, Mr Tanner-Davy says that the charity are looking forward to the introduction of legislation that will recognise HIV/AIDS as a disability in a bid to prevent employers from being able to discriminate against sufferers.

This should help to further remove stigma still present on the island, alongside the charity’s efforts to better educate people about the reality of life HIV/AIDS in the 21^st century.

“One of the things that we can do is educate and say to people, “You must get tested.” Having a positive reading for HIV is not a death sentence any more. You do have a number of drugs out there that can manage it, and you can live a long life.”