TasCAHRD Annual Report 2008-09

Annual Report

2008-09

Tasmania’s primary non-government HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C body

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Table of Contents President’s Report ..................................................................................................................... 3 Board Members ..................................................................................................................... 4 CEO Report ................................................................................................................................. 5 Current Staff Members .......................................................................................................... 6 Program Highlights ................................................................................................................ 7 MAN2MAN ......................................................................................................................... 7 HIV Care and Support ......................................................................................................... 7 Nigel Mallet Housing Program........................................................................................... 8 Andrew Shaw Foundation .................................................................................................. 8 Hepatitis C .......................................................................................................................... 9 Harm Reduction – Needle & Syringe Program ................................................................... 9 Volunteers ............................................................................................................................ 10 Treasurer’s Report ................................................................................................................... 11 TasCAHRD Annual Financial Statements ............................................................................. 12 Andrew Shaw Foundation................................................................................................ 30 Nigel Mallet Housing Project ........................................................................................... 33 Our Supporters. ................................................................................................................... 36

Our vision is a society that respects and embraces diversity and supports TasCAHRD’s client and consumer groups to achieve quality of life and to reach their full potential.

Our mission is to work in partnership with affected communities and the broader community to promote the health and well-being of people living with, affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis C.

Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis & Related Diseases 319 Liverpool Street, Hobart Tasmania 7000 GPO Box 595, Hobart Tasmania 7001 +61 3 6234 1242 mail@tascahrd.org.au www.tascahrd.org.au

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President’s Report We commenced the 2008-09 financial year with a full complement of Board Members and all sitting members whose terms expired at the 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) were re-elected. This ensured that TasCAHRD had a strong and purposeful team available to oversee and support the work of our dedicated staff team.

At the 2008 AGM, TasCAHRD acknowledged the work of former Commissioner of Police, Richard McCreadie for his support of our work by awarding him Honorary Life Membership. Richard contributed significantly to TasCAHRD’s work in reducing the incidence of HIV/HCV infection and HIV/HCV-related discrimination in Tasmania. His intervention to ensure the confidentiality of Needle and Syringe Program clients and the introduction of sexual diversity training for all police cadets at the Rokeby Academy are just two examples of this support. We thank Richard for aiding our efforts to improve health outcomes for Tasmanians.

In August 2008, Quality Management Services (QMS) advised that it had accredited TasCAHRD as an approved health and community service provider. This major achievement was the result of two years of reviewing and revising all aspects of our management and service delivery systems, culminating in an external review and evaluation. TasCAHRD met the requirements of all 19 Quality Improvement Council (QIC) standards on management, service provision and external relationships to achieve accreditation.

The ultimate purpose for seeking accreditation is to ensure that TasCAHRD provides transparent, responsive and accountable service to all of our clients now and into the future. To this end, TasCAHRD has committed to not only maintain but to continually improve our service standards.

Continuous quality improvements will be monitored by QMS through submission of regular work plans detailing the actions taken to improve standards, and by a complete re-evaluation in 2011.

As reported during the year, the Department of Health and Human Services established the Office for the Community Sector (OCS). The OCS has developed a set of compliance standards for funded community sector organisations (CSO) covering Quality and Safety, Finance and Performance Management, and Strategic Development to ensure service provision consistency and continuous quality improvement throughout the sector. All CSO’s are now required to report on a six monthly basis against the compliance standards and their performance will be more regularly monitor throughout the year. Fortunately, the OCS has acknowledged that as the standards set by the QIC are in most cases more rigorous, accredited agencies such as TasCAHRD may substitute our QIC work plans for the OCS Continuous Quality Improvement Workbooks, thereby avoiding reporting duplication. TasCAHRD’s foresight in 2006 to embark on the process to re-gain accreditation as a health service provider has placed us in an enviable position.

On behalf of the Board, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of all TasCAHRD staff who have over many years contributed towards, and are largely responsible for, this achievement and also to our clients and external stakeholders who provided the QMS review team with valuable feedback during the external review. TasCAHRD is particularly grateful for the dedication and hard work of former and current staff members, Wayne Neilson and Amanda Walker, who coordinated the review process and collated the supporting documentation.

Implementation of TasCAHRD’s new 2008-11 Strategic Plan commenced this year with detailed actions outlined in our Business Plan. Two of the major developments addressed during the year related to the return of accounting in-house and the expansion of national partnership arrangements.

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Increasing external accounting costs and the potential to increase TasCAHRD’s administrative staffing capacity has allowed the resumption of in-house account management. With additional training provided to administrative staff and with the support of an accounting firm retained in an advisory capacity, TasCAHRD has been able remove double-handling of payments and reduce the turn-around time of account payments, while providing some overall cost savings in accounting fees.

While the full effects will not be known until the end of the next financial year, staff already report efficiencies in financial management operations. The Board is appreciative of the work our administrative team and the valuable assistance of Sally McLoughlin in establishing the in-house accounting system.

TasCAHRD has continued to expand its development of partnerships with other agencies during the year. Adding to an expanding list of formal relationships at a national level, TasCAHRD has entered into agreements with the new management body for the AIDS Trust of Australia and with the National LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Health Alliance. These partnerships ensure Tasmanian representation at a national level, and in the case of the latter, add impetus to forge closer relationships with local LGBT organisations.

The benefits of existing partnership arrangements included closer ties with Tasmanian sex workers through TasCAHRD’s continued support of the Scarlet Alliance project, and through the Memorandum of Understanding with People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) Victoria that enabled the delivery of public speaker training for TasCAHRD staff and consumers. TasCAHRD extends its thanks to the Coordinator of (PLWHA) Victoria’s Public Speaker Bureau, Max Niggl, who conducted the training in Hobart.

TasCAHRD, along with many other community based service providers, welcomed the ongoing commitment to preventative health measures by all levels of government during the year.

Unfortunately, this was not matched by actions to review and replace the expired national strategies for HIV and hepatitis, nor with any commitment to improve funding levels for preventative health activities in these areas. There was, as mentioned above, considerable activity in increasing the onus on the community based sector to improve accountability, transparency, efficiency and quality of services to our consumers.

In TasCAHRD’s case, I believe we have achieved these goals due to the commitment and dedication of our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters. The TasCAHRD Board extends its deep gratitude to them for their continued loyalty and support.

Board Members Ian Moore President

Des Hargreaves Vice President

Anne Sheehan Treasurer

Kevin Marriott CEO

Susan Ditter Secretary

Sally McLoughlin Public Officer

Debbie Dunn Member

Grahame Foster Member

Wayne Hornsby Member

John McDonald Member

Eleanor Patterson Member

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CEO Report The 2008-2009 year has proved a challenging year with significant changes continuing to happen for the community sector in general and in the way we work with the community. As has been reported previously TasCAHRD made some operational changes in managing our accounts. With this happening mid-term it had significant impact on the Management Services Team and much time spent on reviewing the systems inherited from the formally engaged accounting firm. The team have also been busy revising the relevant policies and procedures that will also be reported as part of TasCAHRD’s continuous quality improvement.

An important aspect of quality improvement has been the establishment of advisory groups for each program area. Relevant consumers and major stakeholders were invited to participate in regular meetings with program staff to inform, discuss and advise on the work of each program. These groups are proving to be highly successful in providing new directions for innovative and responsive program development and in forging closer working relationships with allied service providers, and demonstrate TasCAHRD’s ongoing commitment to work collaboratively at a program level.

TasCAHRD has continued to increase and strengthen relationships and in-turn the reputation of the organisation. This can predominantly attributed to the professionalism of the TasCAHRD staff. Of particular note has been increased involvement with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and the Migrant Resource Centre. Another focus has been the increased involvement with the youth sector in regard to hepatitis C and drug use.

The current environment is one where we are seeing the number of HIV notifications and hepatitis C notifications continue to grow. It is expected that data to be released at in September 2009 will show an increase in HIV infections for Tasmania. In previous years TasCAHRD has not followed the trend of some other Australian states, however this is set to change. The increase in numbers is also expected to be among both women and men. In addition the Australian Government commences processes to review the National Strategies relevant to hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. TasCAHRD has directly participated in related activities and will continue to do so into 2009-10.

Ongoing funding continues to be a priority for the organisation. TasCAHRD has one year remaining on the current core funding (Sexual Health – HIV/AIDS). As at 30 June TasCAHRD was once again waiting for funding agreements to be finalised for the NSP outlets and the Hepatitis C Program.

These have continued to be annual agreements which limit the long-term planning for both Program areas. For 2008-09 TasCAHRD did manage to secure an increase in funding for its Hepatitis C Program. This was not new money to the hepatitis C response but a redirection of funds previously provided to another service. A positive outcome for the year was the introduction of a dedicated government position located in Risdon Prison to work with blood-borne virus and in particular hepatitis C. TasCAHRD ensured that hepatitis C and HIV were highlighted in the Tasmanian Government’s budget planning process. TasCAHRD’s Budget Priority Statement included six recommendations, four of which were specific to hepatitis C funding needs. TasCAHRD reiterated these messages during planning activities facilitated by the Department of Health and Human Services – Population Health Unit.

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Overall the organisation has achieved the majority of planned activities in the Business Plan for 2008-09. A priority in the coming year will be improving the data collections systems to enable increased monitoring and improved planning.

On behalf of the organisation I would like to thank the staff for their hard work and all those who have supported TasCAHRD during 2008-09.

Current Staff Members Kevin Marriott Chief Executive Officer

Amanda Walker Office Manager (part-time)

Barry Scott Administration Officer (part-time)

Sue Fielding Minutes Secretary (casual)

Jude O’Day HIV/AIDS Care and Support Coordinator

Lee Eggleston HIV/AIDS Care and Support Officer (part-time)

Carolyn Hay Hepatitis C Officer

Brian Morris MAN2MAN Education & Prevention Coordinator

Tania Hunt Harm Reduction Coordinator

Mandy Wilton Harm Reduction Officer

Tanya Zollner Harm Reduction Officer (part-time)

Likita Marley Harm Reduction Officer (part-time)

Kellie Terry Harm Reduction Officer (casual)

David Samson Harm Reduction Officer (casual)

Ali Cummins Harm Reduction Officer (casual)

Myf Briggs Harm Reduction Officer (casual)

Former Staff Members Theresa Stenhouse Tara Crawley

TasCAHRD Annual Report 2008-2009

Program Highlights MAN2MAN As highlighted in the TasCAHRD Business Plan 2008-09, the Gay Men’s Health Program was rebadged to become the MAN2MAN Program. This change enables the program to acknowledge the diverse identities of men who engaging in sex with other men. This shift also showed positive results with very positive feedback about the MAN2MAN publication. In fact, the second issue required an additional print run effectively doubling the number circulated. MAN2MAN has also experienced an increase in the number of men engaging through online chat rooms. Engagement with other organisations and groups has also improved along with the introduction of MAN2MAN. In addition to the launch of MAN2MAN, the Program continued to follow up on the Drama Downunder campaign conducted in December 2007. The roll out of the Drama Downunder campaign across Tasmania resulted in a significant increase in men presenting at sexual health clinics in all regions.

The success of the campaign resulted in the establishment of a working group in the North-west of the state. The primary focus being beat culture and health promotion in regional areas. This has led to new relationships with local government and corporate enterprise and the strengthening of relationships with other services such as Working it Out, the Sexual Health Service and the Coming Out Proud Program. This activity is to be reported at the Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference in September 2009 in collaboration with the Sexual Health Service.

HIV Care and Support TasCAHRD’s HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program has seen the number of clients remain static but experienced numerous people moving through due to interstate movement in both directions. Local notifications of HIV infection also increased with a number people who had newly been diagnosed accessing the service. Improved relationships with the Sexual Health Service, and other clinicians has also led to better care coordination for TasCAHRD clients. A focus on self-management led to

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the Care and Support Coordinator successfully completing the Chronic Conditions Self Management course at Flinders University. Initial feedback from our clients is supportive of the approach.

Engaging people living with HIV in other opportunities included the art workshops that contributed works for the AIDS Awareness Exhibition and a Client Retreat was attended by 12 people.

The HIV Care and Support Program continues to coordinate the Nigel Mallet Housing Program and the administration of the Andrew Shaw Foundation.

Nigel Mallet Housing Program The properties managed under the Nigel Mallet Housing Program have continued to be fully utilised.

There has been little movement in tenancy with only one change of tenants during the year. This opportunity enabled some improvements to be made in the condition of that property. TasCAHRD conducted inspections of all properties to identify any improvements .

Andrew Shaw Foundation The provision of financial assistance to people living with HIV and their carers continued to be an important aspect of TasCAHRD’s work.

The data below demonstrates that the cost of utilities, such as electricity remain the primary reason for assistance.

There were a total of 56 applications for assistance received, all of which were approved. However the potential for this to increase is significant in that only 40% of those eligible to access assistance sought support through the Andrew Shaw Foundation. The total amount of financial assistance provided during the year was $7,687.00. This was a decrease on the previous year ($8,625) but remained higher than 2006-07.

The Andrew Shaw foundation also provides financial assistance to enable social peer interaction for people living with HIV. During the year $1,785 was provided for two activities.

AIDS Awareness Week AIDS Awareness Week is generally the biggest event on the TasCAHRD calendar and 2008 was no different. Once again we must thank John X‌. for being our celebrity ambassador. John joined us at Mawson Place for the official launch and worked with the media to promote Red Ribbon Day. We achieved positive media coverage. The total amount of money raised from AIDS Awareness Week, after expenses was $3,842.00. Once again sponsorship levels were established and more than eighty businesses, groups and services were involved in Awareness Week for 2008. Planning for 2009 had already commenced in April to ensure another successful event.

TasCAHRD Annual Report 2008-2009

Hepatitis C The Hepatitis C Program has continued on annual funding which has ultimately made it difficult to pursue projects that require a longer timeframe for monitoring and evaluation. This year saw a move toward greater engagement with the target group and more focus on self-management approaches. This engagement included the conduct of a small research project looking into the awareness of, and experience of undertaking, treatment for hepatitis C. The “…I feel so very alone…” Report identified awareness of current treatment eligibility was low and additional support would be valuable to people considering or taking treatment. TasCAHRD lodged a Budget Priority Statement to the Tasmanian Government’s Budget planning process, highlighting the need for increased resourcing for services supporting people living with hepatitis C. World Hepatitis Day, May 19 saw the Australian campaign introduce the “Love Your Liver Lunch “component. This included television advertising encouraging the community to conduct a lunch.

TasCAHRD’s Hepatitis C Program utilised this opportunity to focus on healthy diets. Along with a healthy lunch with those in the sector, lunch was provided at primary Needle & Syringe Program outlets across the state.

Harm Reduction – Needle & Syringe Program TasCAHRD continues to run two primary Needle & Syringe Program outlets in Southern Tasmania.

TasCAHRD has played an important role in delivering information to people accessing the Needle and Syringe program across the state. Once again the Harm Reduction team produced four issues of Taste magazine that featured increased consumer input. The Program was fortunate to work with some wonderful artists who helped to secure artwork and personal experiences for inclusion in the publication.

For the first time the work of the Team was highlighted through the inclusion of a poster presentation at the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Annual Conference. The team also played an active role through participation on panels during the conference. Consumer participation was a key focus of these activities as well as responding to hepatitis C and the legal aspects of injecting drug use.

Toward the end of the year the Program investigated the possibility of facilitating clinical sessions affiliated with the Needle and Syringe Program outlet in Hobart. This was pursued in partnership with the Link Youth health Service and a pilot will be conducted early in the coming year.

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Overall there has been a reduction in the number of people accessing the Hobart outlet. This can primarily be attributed to an additional primary outlet now operating on the Eastern Shore.

Importantly the number of brief interventions with consumers has increased, suggesting a better quality service. During the year the rollout of public vending machines was commenced by the Department of Health & Human Services – a move welcomed by TasCAHRD.

Volunteers Volunteers continue to play a very important role in the work TasCAHRD does. Whether it is assisting with office administration, graphic design, events or working in the Needle & Syringe Program, all of the TasCAHRD volunteers are highly valued. The volunteers frequently remind us how much they enjoy being involved with TasCAHRD. The Office Manager/Volunteer Coordinator worked closely with volunteers to identify skills and the personal goals of the volunteers and allocated duties accordingly. During the year volunteers were re-introduced into the Needle and Syringe Program outlet in Hobart. This was made possible following a thorough review of the training package. Some initial work has also commenced on developing a similar package to introduce volunteers into the MAN2MAN Program to support online outreach activity.

Volunteers were recognised once again through the Hobart City Council and TasCAHRD invited the regular volunteers to a lunch at the Cascade Gardens.

TasCAHRD has also recommenced participation with Tasmanian Polytechnic through accepting student placements. The Hepatitis C Program benefited through having a student placement participate in the collection and collation of data for the “…I feel so very alone…” Report.

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Treasurer’s Report This year presented a number of challenges, the most significant being the transfer of the financial accounts administration from an external provider to an in-house system. This is one of a number of incremental changes enhancing the financial operations and efficiency of the organisation.

In a year, which saw the initial impacts of the global economic crisis, TasCAHRD assessed the best options to maximise the funds available. TasCAHRD shifted from the use of term deposits to the use of more flexible, higher interest bearing accounts for the majority of available funds and moving funds to operating accounts as required. The ability to manage funds more closely has also been enhanced by the establishment of electronic banking facilities.

Overall TasCAHRD has continued to demonstrate competent financial management with no concerns regarding cash flow and remaining positive to budget in the majority of funded Programs.

During the year the property at 319 Liverpool Street was re-valued by Hobart City Council and the relevant adjustments have been made to the accounts resulting in a significantly higher net asset value for the organisation. The Balance Sheet as at 30 June demonstrates the positive result with net assets of $767,299.

The total income for 2008-09 was $837,227 and expenditure $825,245 resulting in a surplus of $12,032 less transfers relating to the Andrew Shaw Foundation and The Nigel Mallet Housing Project. Most funded programs had funds to be carried forward to the 2009-10 financial year and the organisation will request the relevant amounts for each grant be rolled over to 2009-10.

Toward the end of the year TasCAHRD engaged Tenbensel & Dee as the new accounting firm to provide support with the audit process for 2008-09 and basic monitoring into the future.

The Andrew Shaw Foundation account has maintained sufficient operating funds. Sufficient funds were received through AIDS Awareness Week enabling the investment account to be maintained with a closing value of $55,543.00 The Nigel Mallet Housing Program balances sheets show an improved net asset value of $48,007, up from $42,067 in the previous year.

Fundraising continues to be a challenge for the organisation. The introduction of a direct appeal at the time of membership renewals and conducting small activities such as the Bunnings Sausage Sizzles has resulting in an increase in self-generated funds. However there is a way to go and the organisation remains committed to seeking additional income streams.

I am once again pleased to present this report and reinforce the strong financial standing of the organisation.

Anne Sheehan Treasurer

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TasCAHRD Annual Financial Statements

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Andrew Shaw Foundation

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Nigel Mallet Housing Project

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Our Supporters.

Platinum Sponsors The Black Rose Road Runners Insight Banners

K & D Warehouse Centrelink Staff Community Fund

Gold sponsors: Artery Aspire Australian Red Cross (Hobart) Beachhouse Café Cafe on Wilson Coffee on King Drifters Internet Café Edwards Pharmacy - Channel Court Family Planning Fresh on Charles Gould’s Naturopathica Green Point Clinic Hobart Women's Health Centre Immigration & Citizenship (Hobart) Just add Wine

KAOS Café & SOAK Lounge Bar Landsdowne Café Magnolia Café Martini Coffee Lounge Police Citizens Youth Club (Hobart) PULSE - Youth Health Republic Bar & Café Sexual Health Service Smiley’s Coffee Lounge TAFE - Clarence Campus The Beach Café Restaurant Bar The District Nurses Hobart Working It Out ZEPS Café

Silver sponsors: ARP Bookstore Angilcare (Hobart) Australian Taxation Office (Hobart) Bar Celona Blue Skies Café Bar & Brassiere Bunnings Warehouse (Derwent Park) Calvary Hospital - Infection Control Unit Department of Health & Aging (Hobart) Derwent Park Pharmacy Dept. Health & Human Services – Population Health Unit Dr. Michael Welch Drug Education Network Eumarrah Fork in the Road – Mitre 10 Headspace Hobart City Council Hotel Federal (Wynyard) Dept. Premier & Cabinet – Policy Unit Jackman & McRoss Bakery KT’s Cafe Longford Support Services

Maluka House Mayfair Tavern Raincheck Lounge Pigeon Hole Café Queens Head Café Red Peppers Café Relationships Australia Retro Cafe Royal Hobart Hospital - Pharmacy & Infection Control Unit Ruff Cut Records Salamanca Arts Centre School of Medicine Southern Cross Television STEPS Employment St. Luke’s Health Insurance Tavern 42 Degrees The Link Youth Health Service The Mercury Wills Music ZUM Café & Bakery

In-kind Support Bunnings Cradle Coast Authority Family Planning Tasmania Inc Gay Flowers Headspace Hobart City Council and staff Jackman Mcross Bakery Dr David Jackson Rd Hugh Jackson Launceston College

Les Lees Penny Malone Men’s Health Network Mundy & Sons Pulse PCYC Sauce Sexual Health Service Tasmania Police Reverend Roslyn Terry John X

TasCAHRD Annual Report 2008-2009