Physical Skills and Lotus Teams Receive Award at SLP QI Conference
The collaborative Quality Improvement project, entitled Improving Access to HIV Testing in the Crisis Pathway, gained the teams the award in the People’s Choice section of the Improvement and Innovation Project Poster Competition.
The aim of the project was to shift the focus of HIV testing on Lotus Assessment Unit from targeted to routine in line with NICE guidance and they did this by routinely testing service users admitted to Lotus who had not had a test prior to arrival or within the past two weeks.
The project team noted a significant increase in testing of HIV which has helped improve parity of esteem for service users in crisis, reducing health inequalities in this population.
Sean Whyte, the Trust Deputy Medical Director, said:
I am very proud to be part of the team that has developed this innovative new service for our patients, and to have been recognised for it by the South London Partnership. We are the first mental health unit in the country to routinely offer testing, and where necessary counselling and treatment, to people who are known to be at higher risk of HIV infection. It’s another step in us offering more holistic care to people who come to us with mental health crises.
