Britain's Secretary of State for Health to Unveil New HIV Service

Britain is launching a new service to help people with HIV manage their long-term health and treatment needs. "Life Plus" is an interactive online, face-to-face and telephone service that will deliver personalized support to people based on their needs, requirements, and stage of diagnosis.

Created by HIV/AIDS patients, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), George House Trust, and the National AIDS Manual, "Life Plus" is being launched at St. Thomas' Hospital in South London, the district with the highest HIV prevalence in the United Kingdom. Andrew Lansley, the secretary of state for health, met "Life Plus" users during a visit to the hospital on Thursday.

THT is especially encouraging gay people with HIV to start using the service, which can be accessed online at www.myhiv.org.uk. Users can store their treatment information on the site, and clinic-based health trainers can offer tailored support and encouragement. Clinics are based in the high-prevalence cities of London, Brighton, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Manchester.

"When some 30 percent of HIV patients in the UK who attend their first clinic appointment don't return, and challenging [antiretroviral] therapy can result in unplanned treatment breaks, we were looking for a program that could really help people begin treatment if they needed it and stay adherent for the long term," said Anne Aslett, EJAF's executive director. "'Life Plus' does this in a very flexible and responsible way that also complements and supports health care providers."

"Gay men are one of the groups most affected by HIV and have been fundamental in shaping this new set of services to ensure 'Life Plus' provides people with the best level of targeted support in understanding and taking charge of their condition, in a way that suits them, in order to stay healthy," said Sir Nick Partridge, THT's CEO.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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