Our work

HIV in the modern era

The treatment and care of HIV has changed beyond recognition in the last 40 years yet public perceptions haven’t changed at the same pace. Misinformation, fear and stigma continue to have a significant impact on people living with HIV, regardless of when they received their HIV diagnosis. Poor mental health is often a secondary health condition which is often overlooked in the era of modern effective treatment of the virus.

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that a person living with HIV who is taking effective treatment and where HIV cannot be detected in their blood (undetectable viral load) CANNOT pass HIV on to their sexual partners. This is incredibly empowering for everyone, regardless of their HIV status, yet we know only a small fraction of the public are aware of this important development.

Practical information written by people living with HIV

We’ve arranged the information on our website to mirror the experiences of people living with HIV from initial diagnosis to living well with HIV and beyond. Our website pages are written by people living with HIV and based on the latest up to date information available in the public domain. Our approach is to provide information that is relevant, practical and easy to understand and based upon up-to-date science, research and guidelines relating to HIV care and treatment.

We are always updating the information on our website, particularly in relation to the coronavirus pandemic, which has been a big focus for us over the past year. We’ve developed our coronavirus information by following the guidance provided by the British HIV Association (BHIVA), European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS), Public Health England, the NHS, National AIDS Trust (NAT) COVID-19 Information Network and other HIV support organisations. We’ve also used other reliable sources of information available in the public domain.

UK wide online support

We offer FREE online support to anyone over the age of 16 who is living with or affected by HIV. Having the opportunity to talk to someone else who is also living with HIV is very powerful and recognised by experts and clinicians as a vital part of modern HIV care.

This approach is often referred to as peer support, which forms the central part of the way we work. We also recognise the importance of supporting those who experience poor mental health and all our volunteers and staff delivering peer support hold a recognised mental health first aid qualification. Some have also experienced poor mental health at some point in their life and are therefore able to share these experiences with others.

The online peer support service is available right across the UK and includes British nationals living or working overseas. We believe universal access to peer support is an essential part of HIV care which builds confidence and empowers people to live well whilst fulfilling their life goals and ambitions!

Support for HIV negative people

We believe HIV negative partners, family members, close friends and carers of people living with HIV are given to up-to-date information and can also access HIV support. This can be incredibly important for people who are newly diagnosed with HIV as often they feel extremely alone after receiving a positive test result for HIV. Like any life changing health event, having the support of loved ones and those closest to them is so important and can make a real difference at a very difficult time.

Our wider aim is to support people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV and poor sexual health. Improving knowledge of modern methods of HIV prevention is vital if we’re to end the transmission of HIV by 2030.