In 2019, Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, signed up to the HIV Fast-Track Cities Initiative, committing to scale up local HIV responses to help end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
In 2022, the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP) conducted a scoping study of available HIV data, services and support in the four Fast-Track Cities, to provide a baseline description of existing HIV prevention and support services, to document the current challenges and gaps, and make recommendations to inform the development of Fast-Track City implementation plans.
The report published in August 2024 brings together findings from 193 participants across public health, adult public HIV clinical services, NGOs and community organisations, people living with HIV, HIV networks/member organisations, and city-level public structures. The report identifies a range of challenges and gaps across all stakeholder groups.
Key recommendations include:
- Improve the provision of person-centred HIV care within clinical services, such as improving the time available to patients to discuss and manage their individual care needs and to support patients to better self-manage their HIV and overall health and wellbeing. This requires having sufficient and dedicated staff resources within HIV clinics.
- Improve equitable access to community support services, in particular, peer-support programmes, counselling and mental health supports, through improving the availability of funding for NGOs and community organisations.
- Address HIV-related stigma to improve access to HIV prevention, care and community support services, and improve representation of people living with HIV in the development of services and on relevant working groups.
- Improve bi-directional communication and collaboration between all local HIV services to enhance information and pathways on services available to people living with HIV.
- Establish a national HIV cohort database to provide updated and timely access to data on people living with HIV in Ireland and inform service planning.
These recommendations will be considered by the Fast-Track City Steering Groups in developing their implementation plans, who will be leading on community engagement over the coming months.
