Black African and Caribbean women are disproportionately affected by HIV in the UK. They are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV and face higher rates of negative health outcomes due to inequities in access to health care, intersecting racial, class, gender and other discriminations, experiences of gender-based violence and other challenges. These existing health inequalities were both highlighted and worsened by changes to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, as services were restructured or even closed, appointments moved to telephone or virtual consultations, and routine blood tests and other diagnostic procedures were restricted. Some changes to services persisted beyond the immediate pandemic.
Recognising that many of the changes to services have continued beyond the immediate pandemic phase of COVID-19, and that inequities are continuing, a quality improvement project, Project Respond, was co-developed by Sophia Forum and the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, funded by Gilead Sciences. Project Respond, through peer-led surveys and interviews, spoke to Black African and Black Caribbean heritage women living with HIV and accessing care in the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust, about their experiences between March 2020 and March 2022, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place, the impact this had on their lives and wellbeing, and the implications of this for the future.
Read more about Project Respond, its findings and recommendations in this journal article.