HIV
Luton Sexual Health provides free treatment and care for people living with HIV in a relaxed, non-judgmental environment.
Luton Sexual Health is a confidential service. We do not share information with other hospital departments or your GP without your permission, unless we have serious concerns about your safety, or the safety of another person. We would never share information about you with your friend, relative or partner, unless you ask us to.
As HIV is a long-term condition we encourage you to share your HIV diagnosis with your GP and any hospital departments you attend for other health problems.
Our experienced and dedicated team includes
- HIV Specialist Consultants
- Nurses
- Sexual Health Advisors
- Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technician
- Support staff
- HIV Health and Wellbeing Advisor
Our confidential service provides
- HIV treatment, advice and care
- Information and support for people newly diagnosed with HIV
- Ongoing emotional support
- Sexual and reproductive health advice including sexual health screens and advice about fertility and pregnancy
- Contraception
- Free condoms, lubricant, female condoms and dental dams
- Signposting and referrals to other agencies
- Access to PEP as appropriate for those at risk of acquiring HIV
- Access to PrEP and PrEP monitoring
- HIV point of care tests, available in outreach settings
In most cases, people who are stable on HIV medications are seen in clinic every six months for a blood test and medical review. You can choose to have a telephone review, and then attend for bloods on a different day, if that is more convenient for you.
If you have been diagnosed with HIV recently, have recently switched treatment or have other medical problems, you will be seen in clinic more often than every six months.
To avoid long waiting lists, it is very important that you contact us to change your appointment if you cannot attend. If you miss your appointment, in some cases you will be asked to wait a further six months for a full review. You will still need to come to the clinic for blood tests so we are able to prescribe medication safely.
For telephone reviews you will be called two times only, if you do not answer this will be considered a missed appointment. When you have a telephone review, please make sure you have 20 minutes available for the call and you are in a quiet, private space where you will not be interrupted.
For clinic visits, if you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment you may not be seen – please aim to arrive 10 minutes before your appointment time as there can be queues for the lift or to book in at reception.
Once you are established on treatment, you will be asked how you would like to receive your HIV medications. The options are:
- Home delivery – once you have a review and blood tests, your doctor will prescribe medications which will be delivered to your home
- Clinic delivery – once you have a review and blood tests, your doctor will prescribe medications which will be delivered to Luton Sexual Health. You will receive a text message when the medications are ready to collect.
Your medications can only be prescribed if your blood tests are up to date. If you do not attend appointments, a prescription will not be written. It is very important that you do not run out of HIV medications, so if you are running low on supplies (if you have only one month of medication left), please contact our HIV pharmacy team. The pharmacy team are not always available to take calls so please ensure that you leave a message or send a text.
Lots of medications, including sprays, creams, inhalers and over the counter medicines, can stop HIV treatments working effectively. Before you start any new medication, please discuss this with your GP, HIV consultant or the HIV pharmacy team.
People living with HIV can choose to attend any NHS HIV clinic. If you wish to transfer your care to a different clinic, we can support you with this. When you attend a new clinic you will be asked to sign a consent form so that your records can be shared with the medical team.
If you would like to speak to someone in more detail about this option, please call 01582 497070 or our HIV Health and Wellbeing advisor on 07919 211 946
Your doctor will write to you and your GP every six months with an update on your progress. It is always better for your health for all medical professionals involved in your care to be aware of your HIV status and medications. If you do not want to receive letters, or do not wish us to write to your GP, please inform reception.
If you consent, we are happy to provide clinical information and advice to other NHS providers who are treating you. If you choose to seek any care outside of the NHS, we can provide you with a letter about your recent results and treatment, but we will not give direct advice to any medical teams which are not part of the NHS.
If you require a medical report from your consultant (e.g. insurance/PIP reports), please allow at least two weeks for this to be prepared. There may occasionally be a charge for some reports.
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