To decommission the face-to-face HIV advocacy and social care support contract for people who live with a diagnosis of HIV.  To redirect people to local social care support (where they meet thresholds) and to national HIV-specific web, telephone and digital provision.  

To cease the Torbay Public Health funding of local provision of advocacy, care and support for people who have been diagnosed with HIV and their carers and family members on 30 September 2017. To redirect people to nationally available digital provision, websites and helplines as appropriate.

There is no consistency of HIV advocacy and social care provision across the region, by Local Authority Public Health Teams.  HIV advocacy and social care support services are not required as part of the ring fenced Public Health Grant. 

Torbay has undertaken a collaborative and thorough exploration of existing service provision.  Torbay is not an area of high HIV prevalence.

Upon investigation, there are pre-existing digital, telephone and web provision of support available free of charge for people who live with a diagnosis of HIV.

Money could be reinvested to improve wider preventative sexual health services, to reduce the demand on the mandated sexual health element of the Public Health ring fenced Grant.

Having investigated the issues that people living with a diagnosis of HIV face, three options were presented to key decision-makers:

1.     Public health continues to fund both the Public Health and Adult Social Care functions

2.     Public Health funds only the prevention component and Adult Social Care fund the social care component

3.     Public health fund only prevention (neither Public Health nor Adult Social Care fund the social care component part of the contract).  If this is the favoured option then the outcome would be that savings are made and re-invested back into the wider public health budget OR Savings are invested back into the service for prevention.

This decision will come into force and may be implemented on 1 August 2017 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

This is part of the Devon County Council contract held with The Eddystone Trust who have provided HIV advocacy and social care support for Devon and Torbay.  On behalf of both Local Authority areas, Torbay led on an in depth review of the needs of people living with a diagnosis of HIV and heard direct from them as to their needs. This report was written for Devon County Council and Torbay Council commissioners.  Torbay commissioners distilled three options in an options appraisal paper, for decision-makers.  Torbay has taken the decision, through due process, to cease the funding for the provision of HIV advocacy and social care support.

Part of the investigation highlighted that with the emergence of an effective anti-retroviral drug regime for HIV in the mid-1990s, people with a diagnosis of HIV can now live a near-normal life expectancy if they adhere to their prescribed medication.  Their advocacy needs can be met by mandated social care services, where they meet the criteria for care.  Those needs more specific to a HIV diagnosis can be met by national digital, telephone and web provision.

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