HIV and the role of the HCA: raising awareness and breaking stigma

Abstract

In the UK, 107 800 people have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and of these, some 26 400 are unaware they have contracted the virus. The symptoms of HIV are often invisible for years and, due mainly to misinformation and stigma, people who have contracted HIV do not come forward for testing and treatment, perhaps because they do not fully understand how the virus is transmitted or that they could have been exposed to it. Healthcare assistants (HCAs) and assistant practitioners (APs) have a vital role to play in discussing HIV with patients and colleagues openly and honestly, raising awareness of HIV, educating communities and patients on the facts about HIV, discussing HIV testing options available with patients, if appropriate, and raising awareness about how advances in treatments have meant, as we like to say, HIV is no longer a death sentence.