The Pox Doctor’s Assistant’: The early days of HIV/AIDS in Chester

Mike Sinnott will explore the development of HIV/AIDS through drawing upon his experiences working as an HIV/AIDS Counsellor at Chester Royal Infirmary in the 1980s and early 1990s. He will reflect on how the disease developed into a worldwide pandemic, the particular emphasis on health promotion in this field, the response of the health service and the impact of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. Stigma continues to be associated with HIV and AIDS and this was especially true 50 years ago. As a result, he will create a picture of stigma in the late 1980s, not just in relation to the disease, but with the risk groups affected and the impact on people’s lives, including their partners and families. Finally, Mike will ask the question: What have we learned in patient involvement and the treatment of individuals?

Mike qualified in Ireland in 1983 as a mental health nurse. With an interest in substance misuse, he moved to London in 1985 to work in a drug unit, then moved to Newcastle upon Tyne as a community psychiatric nurse in drugs and alcohol. In 1987 he was appointed by Chester Health Authority as an HIV/AIDS counsellor based at Chester Royal Infirmary, one of the first such posts outside London. This led to managing the Regional Drug and Alcohol Service in Chester. Other appointments include managing community mental health services in Chester and Wirral, commissioning mental health and substance misuse, learning disabilities and prison health care and the role of general manager of mental health. His final NHS role was Director of Mental Health in North Wales. Retiring from the NHS in 2014 he worked in consultancy and as an inspector with the Care Quality Commission and Health Improvement Wales.

Speaker: Mike Sinnott

Date: Wednesday, 6 November, 4:00pm

Venue: Wheeler Building, Room CRV119

Host: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society Historical Society

All are welcome to attend the in-person talks free of charge. Booking is encouraged for refreshment and seating purposes and in case there are any last-minute changes (contact details below).

Please check the event listings for updates to the programme: www.chester.ac.uk/events (scroll down to see the individual events). Access to the Riverside Museum and event venues is via a flight of steps and lift/step access thereafter. For those with limited mobility, there is an accessible route and please pre-book to arrange this access.

fhsc.histsoc@chester.ac.uk or 01244 512126    

View our programme of events in the link below:

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society Programme 2024/2025