Until a couple of weeks ago the phrase ‘It’s a sin’ brought memories of disco nights dancing to the Pet Shop Boys 1987 number one hit – yip…I’m really that old! More recently though, it’s left me thinking about the characters of the Russell T Davies mini-series of the same name and reflecting on their experiences – testing; PPE; isolation; …
Sexual Health Clinics are a viable and confidential Covid-19 vaccination setting
Positive Life, the only charity in Northern Ireland for people living with HIV, has called for sexual health clinics to be used to administer the Covid vaccine for people living with HIV as the vaccination programme is set to move into its second stage. Belfast Health & Social Care Trust have begun to issue letters informing people living with HIV …
Why the latest change to blood donor deferral policy is so important
Back in the 1980s the UK Governmentalong with a whole host of other countries introduced a lifetime ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men (MSM) in response to the emergence and fear created around the AIDS pandemic. This blanket ban remained in place in Northern Ireland until as recently as 2016 when the then Health Minister, …
New cases are down, but stigma remains the underlying challenge this World AIDS Day
The latest statistics for HIV in Northern Ireland are in and its really encouraging news. There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of new cases for the 2019-year, some fantastic news to cap a tricky year for HIV support services. During 2019, there were 52 new diagnoses of HIV in NI, down from 84 recorded the previous year. …
Do you talk to your dentist about your sex life?
Do you talk to your dentist about your sex life? At Positive Life we know that a HIV diagnosis is not the death sentence it once was, however, we also know that the uniquely associated stigma and ignorance around the condition is still alive and thriving in Northern Ireland. A recent incident experienced by one of our service users goes …
COVID-19
Over the weekend the reaction to COVID-19 has increased with further statements and decisions likely to be made in the coming days. It is a worrying time for all. On a practical level, we at Positive Life have taken all necessary precautions to ensure that we are providing a safe environment, adhering to health & safety recommendations, including regularly and …
Marking Sexual Health Week 2020
This Sexual Health Week we are calling for greater emphasis to be placed on Relationship and Sex Education in schools, to create knowledge and understanding about sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. More often than not, sex education at second and third level education teaches the basic elements, but fails to place an emphasis on maintaining good sexual health. This …
Supporting our Service Users navigate the complexity of support payments
Changes to the welfare benefits system over the past year has given cause for great concern from many who are partially or wholly reliant on support payments. The move to universal payments and the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in particular is one area that service users with us at Positive Life have highlighted issues around time and again. We have …
Infected Blood Payment Scheme – Greater compensation needed
Earlier this week the new Health Minister, Robin Swann, announced compensation for those who are living with NHS-supplied infected blood from the 1970s and 1980s after the Finance Minister Conor Murphy allocated monitoring round funding to the Department of Health. We welcomed this announcement as an indication from the newly restored Executive of their commitment to support those who were …