HIV care

New patients

Receiving a new diagnosis of HIV can be challenging and it may cause many different emotions and questions. We are here to support you through this time. All patients receiving a new diagnosis of HIV at the clinic will be looked after by an experienced nurse practitioner who will provide emotional and psychological support. Within two weeks of your diagnosis you will be seen by a specialist doctor who oversee your care. You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer with you to your appointment. 

During your appointment we will:

• ask you about your medical and sexual history
• carry out a complete physical examination and blood tests
• provide specialist and healthy living advice
• prescribe any necessary medications. 

As we are a teaching hospital, medical students may be present for some of your appointments. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the nurse or doctor know.  

Follow-up appointments

We provide routine HIV care and a same day review service for HIV related issues. We have a specialist day unit for investigations and ongoing treatment for HIV positive patients. Monitoring blood tests are carried out every six months for stable patients with other tests offered annually, including cervical smears in women, anal smears in at-risk individuals and sexually transmitted infection screening. Stable patients are reviewed annually by a consultant and by a nurse after six months.

Emergency cinic

The Wharfside HIV emergency clinic is for the assessment of serious HIV-related problems that have just started or suddenly got worse

Once you have contacted us, you will be given a video clinic appointment, usually on the same day. Please wait for us to join the call as the clinic can get very busy and we may be delayed. If you cannot use the video service, we will call your mobile phone.

Please have a list of current medications to hand.

Contact us

Monday to Friday: Please call us between 09.00 and 13.00 on 020 3312 5253 and leave a message with your contact number that we can call you back on.

Out of hours (after 18.00 Monday to Friday or at weekends) if you need to urgently contact the clinic please call 020 3312 6666 and ask for the on-call HIV registrar at St Mary's Hospital.

Patient information leaflets

• HIV TESTING
• INFORMATION ON TREATMENT FOR PEP FOLLOWING SEXUAL EXPOSURE TO HIV

Additional information for patients

Please see these links and leaflets from trusted sources for helpful information about living with HIV:

• INTRODUCTION TO ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT (ART) GUIDE FROM I-BASE
• MORE I-BASE GUIDES TO LIVING WITH AND TREATING HIV
• POCKET GUIDES TO HIV TREATMENTS, ADHERENCE AND MORE FROM I-BASE
• LEAFLETS FROM THE HIV PHARMACY ASSOCIATION
• HIV DRUG INTERACTIONS CHECKER
• CARE INFORMATION EXCHANGE
• BRITISH HIV ASSOCIATION