HIV-AIDS and social care

As the number of those with HIV-AIDS increases, an important concern is to understand the pattern and range of social care needs and how best these can be met. This paper relates to the report of a two-year project, funded jointly by the Department of Health (DH) and the Scottish Education Department (SED), and based at the Universities of Hull and York. The Hull-York study investigated, in brief, the range of HIV-AIDS generated demands for formal and informal social care; the nature of the delivery, management and coordination of that care; the development by Social Services Departments (SSDs) in England and Wales and Social Work Departments (SWDs) in Scotland of their patterns of provision; and the direct and indirect costs of social care for those with HIV-AIDS. The focus of this paper is the relationship between the demand for and the provision of social care for people with HIV-AIDS. Identification of the demand for social care and support services by people with HIV or AIDS provides the basis for assessing the appropriateness of HIV-AIDS service supply of local authorities and the voluntary sector. This paper outlines a supply framework that can be used to examine actual service provision and innovative practices in HIV-AIDS service supply and the resources required to meet service demands. Other aspects of the research will be explored in subsequent publications.