Spotlight on: Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS)
Sian, our IBPS Navigator, highlights the important work of the Infected Blood Psychological Service and how they “provide some support to those that have suffered to improve their well being and their lives moving forward”.
My name is Sian and I’m a navigator for the Infected Blood Psychological service (IBPS). The service was set up by the NHS in response to the findings of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which was an independent public statutory inquiry established to examine the circumstances in which men, women and children treated by the NHS in the UK were given infected blood products, in particular since 1970. IBPS helps people with psycho social and psychological support; I work alongside a local psychologist in the NHS who provides psychological support to clients. My role involves meeting with clients who have either been infected with HIV, Hep B or Hep C, or are connected to an infected person, to provide compassionate and holistic support for them. I:
- Listen to what matters to them
- Work alongside them to provide emotional and practical support tailored to their needs
- Guide, support and empower them to make informed decisions about their care
- Explain care pathways and support them to feel informed and prepared for psychological therapy
- Support them to access psychology and other appropriate services
- Advocate for them and support you to navigate challenges or barriers.
Some of the issues that I have been supporting clients with are wide ranging and have included housing, benefits, employment, alcohol, dementia and compensation access.
As this is a new service to both the NHS and Citizens Advice LeicesterShire, I have been doing a lot of work setting up our processes and systems, but now that these have been established, a typical day would involve daily checks of the NHS system for any new referrals across the East Midlands, meetings with clients, any work that comes from those meetings, writing up their notes on the NHS system and casebook, meetings with other regional navigators, the National project team and the local psychologist, engagement work to raise the profile of our service and outreach work.
Our service is important because of the harm that has been caused to many people and their families through these past NHS practices. Government after government denied responsibility for this harm and as a result there is much mistrust within the communities of the NHS, the government and the compensation process. This service is needed to provide some support to those that have suffered to improve their well being and their lives moving forward.
Before I came into this role I had heard of the blood scandal but I had no idea as to the extent or the impact of it on our communities. I can’t change the injustice that has happened in the past to this community but in a small way I hope to be able to make a difference to the futures of those I support.