Scoping Project for Opt Out Blood Bourne Virus and Sexually Transmitted Infection testing in psychiatric inpatient units

Overview

Many people are unaware of having been infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STIs) and/or blood borne virus such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Early identification means that treatment can commence immediately which in turn helps prevents disease progression, further transmission and dramatically improves life expectancy. Evidence from the USA and mainland Europe indicates that people with long term mental health problems are more at risk of STIs than the general population; however mental health services do not routinely offer sexual health promotion or testing. Surprisingly this is an under-researched area in the UK and this project addressed an urgent need for in-depth developmental work to support a larger, external proposal to develop and evaluate a STI testing service within mental health inpatient units. 

A systematic review of prevalence of Blood Borne Viruses has been completed and published. Dr Hughes hosted a consultation meeting with service user consultants in Leeds in order to discuss the issues of BBV testing and treatment in SMI. The panel agreed to remain involved should further research proposals be funded. In addition, Dr Hughes attended the AIDS 2012 conference in Washington DC where she was able to meet up with US academic collaborators and participated in a forum on mental health and HIV. She also made a trip to London to host a meeting of academics in order to develop collaborations for the NIHR bid, and travelled to Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Sussex Partnership Trust, and Leeds and York Partnership Trust to build academic and clinical collaboration and support for future research. She has presented papers to the Royal College of Nursing International Network of Psychiatric Nursing research, the regional British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and the International conference for mental health nursing held at the end of May 2013.

Her work has resulted in the creation of a CLARHC-YH sub-theme for 01/01/2014 to 01/01/2019. The aim of the sub-theme is to undertake exploratory work in relation to sexual health of people with serious mental health problems using mixed methods approaches including qualitative interviews with mental health staff and service users in the NHS, quantitative surveys and feasibility/acceptability of assessment tools for assessing sexual health and risk behaviours.  The aim of the theme is to provide preliminary data which will inform the development of NIHR proposals for national research, and the development and testing of innovative behavioural interventions to promote sexual health.

Ouputs

Grants

• Elizabeth Hughes, NIHR MHRN, Promoting Sexual Health for People with serious mental illness, £5,000
• Simon Gilbody, NIHR, CLARHC-YH Mental Health and Co-Morbidities theme, £1,000,000