HIV Services in Birmingham
1989
"When I came in 1989 in HIV terms there was AIDSline West Midlands and also AIDS lifeline which was run out of Lancaster Street, a central Birmingham Health Authority initiative run by a guy called Rod Griffiths. AIDSline had been going for quite a long time, but there was very little money. Suddenly though all this money was available."
Tom says in his first major meeting with the strategic planning group of the Health Authority he managed to get extra money to strengthen the voluntary sector in the city and to develop a response to the crisis.
"Compared to Leeds where I had little or no resources at all suddenly I had the resources to go around and try and get people to develop a response."
Contributed by: Tom Matthews, 60