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Clinical care and support services for people living with HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and blood borne virus (BBV) are required in the ACT. People living with HIV, those at risk of acquiring HIV, their partners, carers and families require a service to have access to information for safe practices, STI screening and prescriptions.
The HIV Nurse Program commissioned by CHN provides nursing and counselling services as well as education and networking opportunities for GPs and other health professionals in the territory. The program also includes management, advocacy and screening of STI and BBV. The program provides clinical support and care coordination for clients with HIV, supports opportunistic and rapid screening of high risk and concerned patients through work at Hobart Place General Practice and conducts a range of outreach activities in partnership with Meridian (formerly known as Aids Action Council) and Canberra Sexual Health Centre.
The program minimised the impact of HIV and related disease through a range of counselling services, clinical support and advocacy activities, as well as education and professional development to primary care clinicians in the ACT. The Program Nurse provided education to nursing colleagues and GPs at Hobart Place General Practice and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Prep) management. Over the last year:
- over 1,000 hours of clinical nursing services were provided
- 136 active clients were supported
- 6 Clinical care meetings and 4 HIV Medicine Special Interest Groups were convened.
Client story
“Junfeng* (not their real name) has been HIV Positive for about 15 years and has chronic back pain. He’d been accessing HIV treatment irregularly from different providers in Sydney and Canberra and had not kept a number of appointments.
Over a year ago, Junfeng was running out of antiretroviral therapy and was directed by Meridian to Hobart Place General Practice. He missed his first booking, but was contacted by the HIV Program nurse for a follow-up appointment. At this appointment, the HIV Program nurse was able to engage him with HIV monitoring with blood tests, and a follow up discussion of the meaning of the results.
Around this time, Junfeng demonstrated a suspicion of COVID-19 immunisation. The HIV Program nurse supported him in attending the first appointment for COVID-19 immunisation through phone calls in the days beforehand, discussing the benefits of immunisation. A similar approach was used for his subsequent COVID-19 immunisations. Further appointments for HIV prescribing have been supported by phone calls beforehand to encourage attendance.
Through discussions with GPs, Junfeng explored a number of options for pain control, as the cost of smoking cannabis (which only provided intermittent pain relief) was not sustainable, and previous opioid use was complicated by dependence. The result of this has been that Junfeng has independently made and kept an appointment to see a GP who is experienced in the use of non-opioid pain management options.
Junfeng’s experience indicates that initial supportive contact with primary health care services in order to meet specific health needs can lead to increased confidence with the service and improved reliability in attending booked appointments.