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How did your volunteers respond? The response from the volunteer mentors was great. They really are a committed group. Some of the volunteers were themselves shielding but were willing to provide telephone-based mentoring. Many of the mentoring pairings continued in this way. No one took up the option of mentoring by Zoom. I think that the lack of curiosity in using Zoom as a mentoring tool is interesting. Although maybe a majority of us have adapted to using Zoom over the lockdown, at the start it was still very much a new tool and there was some resistance. In delivering the mentoring service, I need to explore any concerns or resistance so that this becomes a viable option in the future.
Navigating the pandemic Rob Hammond, HIV peer mentor coordinator, Sussex Beacon health management team, outlines how the charity has responded to the challenges of coronavirus ) What was your initial reaction to
lockdown? On a personal level, although frustrated that the decision had come so late in the outbreak, I welcomed the measure as a way of possibly minimising the impact of Covid-19. Aside from living with HIV, like many of the service users we support, I have underlying health conditions which would make me more susceptible to a severe reaction to catching Covid-19. This was the primary reason for welcoming the lockdown. It gave a sense of reassurance and security. Having later been advised to shield, I settled into a routine of working from home and keeping contact with family and friends via social media, WhatsApp, and telephone etc. With regard to the clients being mentored, I was concerned about the impact of lockdown on increased social isolation and their mental health. What was the impact on your services? There was a very quick and immediate response from the Beacon in moving services
from face-to-face to telephone and online support. Because of this almost immediate transition, any impact was minimised. How did you continue to support service users? All of the volunteer mentors and supported peers (mentees), were contacted and advised of the options available in continuing their mentoring sessions, this being either by telephone, or over Zoom. Within our existing policies, we already had guidelines for both ways of working, which addressed privacy and being data protectioncompliant. I also maintained regular email and telephone contact with both my volunteer mentors and the supported peers. In conjunction with a colleague who delivers the Beacon’s casework service, a weekly HIV/ Covid-19 support session was established on Zoom. This was open to all Sussex Beacon service users and others living with HIV.
There was a slight decline in the amount of mentoring that took place during the lockdown period but, overall, I’m pleased with the way the service continued to be delivered. How did you adapt your various services to get to the position you are in now? Now that staff are back on site, services are continuing in a hybrid fashion. We have resumed face-to-face delivery, and this is being combined with the continuation of telephone support. The Zoom support group sessions have been ended. Mentoring is continuing with sessions resuming on site, in the community, and by telephone. Day Service has recommenced the Tuesday and Wednesday groups utilising a rota system so that all members have the option of attending. Casework is ongoing with telephone support and office-based sessions where required. Our Women & Families group is also soon to restart face-to-face sessions, having successfully continued online by Zoom over the lockdown.
TESTED ON ENTRY
Our 10-bed hospital unit is operating as usual and we are able to take referrals from health professionals for people living with HIV who could benefit from the service. The adaptations here have largely been in ensuring that we use PPE when we provide patient care. The unit is laid out to allow for distancing. How did you adapt the space to allow for social distancing etc? The Beacon has put stringent measures in place to ensure that we are Covid-19 secure and that all staff, visitor, and inpatients are safe. Our main meeting room was measured to be adaptable for Day Service groups, meetings, and any future small training sessions. There is another, smaller, meeting room which is suitable for 1-2-1 sessions. Office accommodation has been reworked to ensure safe distancing between colleagues and two rooms have been made available as changing rooms for staff.
