Guest blog: A day in the life at George House Trust, the charity supporting people living with HIV in Greater Manchester

We spoke to Anna Hughes on an average day at George House Trust about the work she does, and how George House Trust is playing its part in reducing health inequalities in Greater Manchester.

This guest blog is part of a series where we’re looking at the role of the VCSE sector as a champion of community-led prevention work in Greater Manchester.

Could you introduce yourself, your role, and your organisation?

I’m Anna Hughes and I’m the Ageing Well Programme Coordinator here at George House Trust.

Tell us about the work you do, what does an average day look like?

At George House Trust, we provide support and services for people living with HIV in Greater Manchester and Liverpool.

I coordinate the Ageing Well project, which is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Through the project, we work collaboratively with other local organisations to empower people over the age of 50 who are living with HIV to live healthy lives free from stigma and discrimination.

We offer one to one support and activities, with the aim to improve confidence, reduce loneliness and improve skills and knowledge.

An average day includes contacting service users to see how they are. Some of our service users are vulnerable and lonely and really appreciate a chat. Some service users can be hesitant to asking for support, so these telephone calls can break down the barriers to accessing support and they are great to build trust.

There are two other team members in the Ageing Well team, our Ageing Well Training and Groupwork Officer, Andy, covers Greater Manchester and we have Jo, who is our Ageing Well Officer in Liverpool.

As well as speaking to service users, a typical day would also include checking in with the team. Our events programme includes a fortnightly Knit and Natter and a monthly art workshop at The Whitworth, as well as other social, skills-based and HIV and health information sessions, so our work is always fast-paced, busy and service user focused.

A core part of what we do is delivering HIV awareness training to care providers, as a big concern of some people living with HIV relates to accessing and receiving care in older age, so often our days are filled with identifying and contacting care providers.

It’s always lovely to meet care providers. Being able to educate people about HIV and that someone who is taking their HIV medication has an undetectable viral load, and therefore cannot pass HIV on, is a vital part of what we do and is very rewarding knowing that we’ve contributed to a world free of HIV stigma.

We work very closely with the HIV in clinics in Greater Manchester and Liverpool, and although we can receive referrals online from the sexual health consultants and nurses, the clinic staff often telephone us if they have a more complex situation so that we can best support the service user.

How can people get involved? Help us to understand the communities you work with.

Anyone living with HIV in Greater Manchester or Liverpool can self-refer by giving us a call on 0161 274 4499, or by emailing [email protected].

We’re always looking for other organisations we can collaborate with and to share knowledge and ideas. If your organisation supports older people and you would like to be HIV aware, please get in touch to book a free HIV awareness training session.

For more information about the Ageing Well project, please email [email protected].

What does ‘community-led’ mean to you?

To me, community-led is created and influenced by the community. It means the community, the users of the service has a voice and that voice is heard. I believe that this approach works so well because it empowers people, it gives them responsibility and therefore motivates them to make positive changes.

Looking forward, what do you think we need to do to strengthen the capacity and capability of the VCSE sector in Greater Manchester to be able to tackle health inequalities?

Increase access to digital inclusion
Work in partnership with other organisations to ensure fair access to housing, education and health services
Provide opportunities to encourage social and cultural inclusion
Provide programmes to reduce isolation and loneliness

Thank you Anna!

Find out more about the work of George House Trust.

Find out more about George House Trust

We’re looking for contributors to our blog! If you’d like to share your experience of community-led prevention work in the VCSE sector across Greater Manchester and how this has supported your community, please contact [email protected]