Case study: Improving Mental Health Support for People Living with HIV through Connect Well
Living Well and all Fast Track VSO & NHS partners across London
1. What problem are we trying to solve or what is the aim?
The problem is the significant unmet need for mental health support within the HIV community. Many individuals living with HIV face poor mental health, isolation, and stigma, yet there are limited services that specifically address their needs. The aim of the Connect Well program is to improve the mental health and well-being of people living with HIV by providing 1-2-1 support. The target is to ensure that by April 2025, over 80% of individuals receiving this support report an improvement in their mental health.
2. What did we do?
To address this problem, Connect Well implemented a range of activities:
Expanded Therapy Team: Recruited new therapists from diverse backgrounds to ensure cultural competence and inclusivity.
Face-to-Face Service Delivery: Explored offering face-to-face support at partner locations to reach individuals without access to technology or those who prefer in-person interactions.
Referral Process Enhancement: Improved the referral process by adapting the Living Well website, making it easier for professionals and service users to refer people for support.
Workshops and Counselling: Delivered online wellbeing workshops and offered therapy, life coaching, and hypnotherapy to individuals living with HIV.
3. What outcome have we achieved so far?
Referrals: Since April 2024, 90 referrals were received across 28 London boroughs, with a significant portion coming from underserved areas like Haringey, Lambeth, and Southwark.
Service Delivery: In the most recent quarter, 23 people received counselling (with 102 sessions delivered), 11 received life coaching (38 sessions), and 5 received hypnotherapy (28 sessions).
Workshops: Three online wellbeing workshops were delivered, with positive engagement despite lower-than-expected attendance in some cases.
Demographics: The participants reflected the diverse London population, with 38% identifying as female, 62% as male, and a wide range of sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds.
Improved Access: Continued efforts to address barriers like technology access and lack of awareness about services are underway, with plans for further face-to-face service expansion.
While challenges remain, including low professional referrals and dropout between registrations and actual attendance at workshops, significant progress has been made in providing tailored mental health support to underserved individuals in the HIV community.