Person-centred care for people living with HIV: developing therapeutic relationships

The considerable advances in HIV treatment, such as antiretroviral therapy, means that people diagnosed with HIV are now living much longer, healthier lives. If diagnosis of HIV is made soon after acquisition of the virus and treatment is commenced with immediate effect, then a normal lifespan can be expected. The care for people living with HIV has changed from managing a condition with a poor prognosis and high risk of transmission, to one of managing a long-term chronic health issue.

The UNAIDS worldwide target of 90–90–90 calls for 90% of people living with HIV to know their HIV status; 90% of those diagnosed receiving antiretroviral therapy; and 90% of people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression (UNAIDS, 2023). The UK is one of the few countries in the world to have reached and exceeded this target (Public Health England, 2020). Having viral suppression means that a significant number