The British School of Osteopathy’s Clinics for People Living with HIV Infection have provided invaluable support to patients for 13 years. James has been living with HIV for ten years.  “I’m so grateful that the Chapman clinic is free so that I can go every three weeks, or even weekly when I’m having a particularly bad time.  With osteopathy the pain goes away and it stays away for the week, so I can forget the painkillers. It keeps me going; it’s as simple as that.”

The boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham are home to more than 11% of all people living with HIV in England. Lambeth and Southwark are the most affected boroughs in the UK. In 1995 advances in anti-retroviral therapy (ART) changed HIV infection from a terminal illness to a chronic infection. People diagnosed at an early stage live a near normal life span, because of the drugs that suppress the virus’s replication.

The development of ART has changed local need, including:

• Demand: the number of people living with HIV infection is growing - the number of people living with HIV in London in 2011 was the highest ever reported.
  
• Aging: the average age of people living with HIV is increasing. Adults living with HIV aged 50+ now represent 20% of all those being treated for the condition. These patients are more likely to have long term side effects of treatment as well as age-related illnesses that affect their condition like heart disease and diabetes.
  
• Side effects: people taking ART may experience significant side-effects from the essential drug therapies as well as secondary pain and effects of the illness.
  
• Funding: the cost of ART drugs is very high. Funding available for therapies to support patients suffering from the effects of the infection and its treatment is limited.
  

In 2001, the British School of Osteopathy established its ‘Chapman Clinic’ for people living with HIV in the heart of Southwark. The clinic addresses the pain, fatigue and distress associated with HIV infection using osteopathy, giving patients the choice of a manual method of pain and symptom control. It also offers a system of healing and care based on touch to address the isolation, fear, isolation and stigma which some patients experience. Three years later the School set up a similar clinic at the Ian Charleson Day Centre in the Royal Free Hospital. The clinics see patients from across London and the South East.

The Chapman and Royal Free clinics run on three days of the week, offering four separate half-day sessions. Waiting times for a first appointment run at four weeks. Our osteopathic HIV clinics now provide over 2,500 osteopathic treatments a year relieving pain and enabling patients to maintain activities of daily living, self-care and employment. Senior NHS Clinical staff at the Royal Free Hospital say “the feedback from patients is exceptional” and comment on “how profoundly helpful the osteopathic service is to patients”.

A thirty-nine year old volunteer who suffers from back pain with muscular tension said: “It makes a huge difference. After the manipulation you leave in a completely different state to when you arrive. I feel like I can face anything. I’m studying now and I know that I wouldn’t have the energy or flexibility to do this without osteopathy.”

The BSO’s Clinics for People living with HIV in our Chapman Clinic and at the Royal Free hospital provide osteopathic treatment free of charge. We rely completely on charitable donations to maintain our services. We have been approached by Homerton Hospital to ask if we would establish a similar clinic there. We urgently need to raise enough funds to maintain our current clinics and begin a new project at Homerton.