Dear NHIVNA members
Please find an update and advice regarding funding for HIV community nurses.
As many of you know, the funding streams for HIV community nursing models of care is varied across the UK and it is not yet clear how community nursing models of HIV care are to be included in the HIV Service Specification. The current situation is as follows:
1. In order for HIV community nurses to be considered as part of the HIV Service specification, they will need to demonstrate how their service directly relates to consultant-led HIV outpatient care. HIV Community Nurses who are not currently funded through acute HIV services are advised to provide evidence and/or examples of how their roles and services are linked to consultant-led care. The Adult (and Children's) HIV Service Specifications can be found at the following link: http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b06/.
2. Some draft HIV nursing outcomes have been developed to assist with the evidence required enclosed, but will need to be built on to demonstrate the contribution of community nurses to consultant-led care. If you need further advice on this, please contact us via the secretariat.
3. HIV Community Nurses who are not currently funded through acute HIV services are strongly advised to contact their CRG Representatives and ask to be involved in the local MONHICA network meetings to discuss how their roles and services are linked to consultant-led outpatient care models. These meetings are currently being arranged in your area. If you have missed a MONHICA network meeting, please contact your CRG representative and arrange to meet with them to discuss how your service contributes to consultant-led outpatient care. You can find out who your CRG Representative is through the following link: http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b06/.
4. If your HIV community nursing service is at risk and you have not received confirmation of funding for the following financial year, please inform NHIVNA and your CRG Representative so we can make contact with your Local Area Team on your behalf.
Please also find below 5 key messages from the HIV Clinic Reference Group (CRG) Meeting on April 3rd 2014. These will now be circulated after each CRG meeting.
5 Key messages from the meeting of the CRG held on 3rd April 2014
Please contact the secretariat (nhivna@nhivna.org) if you have any concerns and please copy the Secretariat (nhivna@nhivna.org) into any correspondence with your CRG.
