HIV and AIDS services
What is HIV?
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that can be passed on through sexual health contact, needle share, or other drug injection equipment. HIV can also be passed on to babies during pregnancy or with breast milk. HIV is a virus that compromises your immunity and damages your immune cells, hence can weaken your immunity making you more prone to infections. HIV can be life-threatening, however, when an early diagnosis can be treated. Although there's no cure for HIV, there are medicines that help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives
Living with HIV/AIDS
Receiving a diagnosis of HIV is often a life-changing event. Living with HIV can in fact sometimes be very difficult. However, most people diagnosed with HIV can have long and fulfilling lives as long as they get and stay on treatment. Support and advice for people who are unwell, feeling lonely or have other social care needs is widely available in our borough.
Below you can find the services and organisations that can support you and your family:
Positive East
Positive East offers a comprehensive and holistic range of HIV support and prevention for all Newham residents 18+ including:
- HIV/STI Testing
- Peer support and Peer Mentoring
- Support Groups and educational workshops
- Counseling
Contact details:
159 Mile End Road
Stepney Green, London
E1 4AQ
Tel: 0207 791 2855
Website: www.positiveeast.org.uk
Email: talktome@positiveeast.org.uk
Body and Soul
Body & Soul is a charity promoting the respect, dignity and well-being of children, teenagers, young people and families living with and affected by HIV.
Contact details:
99 Rosebery Avenue
London
EC1R 4RE
Tel: 0207 923 6880
Website: bodyandsoulcharity.org
Email: info@bodyandsoulcharity.org
HIV Testing Service
You can get tested for HIV in every GP practice in the borough or in our local sexual health clinic – All East, and our local HIV service Positive East.
All East venues:
Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre
40 Liberty Bridge Road
East Village
E20 1AS
West Ham Lane Health Centre
84 West Ham Lane
E15 4PT
To book your appointment to any of the above sites call: 0207 480 4737 or book online
Positive East
159 Mile End Road
Stepney Green
E1 4AQ
Website: www.positiveeast.org.uk
To book your appointment, please call 0207 791 2855
HIV Home Testing Service
The Sexual Health London (SHL) service offers free, fast and confidential home HIV tests.
HIV Prevention
What is PrEP?
PrEP – a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a medicine that can prevent HIV. PrEP is for people who are HIV-negative and at risk of getting HIV. PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV through sexual contact by 99% and reduces the risk of HV infection by 74% among people who inject drugs as long as is taken as prescribed by health professionals.
Is PrEP right for you?
You may benefit from PrEP if you are HIV-negative and:
- have sex partners with HIV
- don’t always use condoms
- have been diagnosed with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) in the past 6 months
- share needles or other drug injection equipment
- have a drug-injecting partner with HIV
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PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV or injection drug use. However, PrEP does not protect against other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)! Currently, only condoms can protect against STIs such as syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea. |
PrEP in England is now available on NHS for those who are eligible!
Following the successful PrEP IMPACT Trial (2017- 2020), in October 2021, the UK’s Government made PrEP routinely available via NHS in England for those who are eligible, making a good commitment towards ending HIV transmissions by 2030. Funding of approximately £40 million was made available to local authorities to ensure that anyone at risk for HIV infection received PrEP from their local sexual health clinic.
Where to get PrEP in Newham:
If you wish to check if PrEP is available for you, contact our local sexual health clinic All East (www.alleast.nhs.uk) to arrange a consultation in our local specialist Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre, 40 Liberty Bridge Road, East Village, Stratford, E20 1AS
To book an appointment, please complete the online booking form, or call 0207 480 4737 (Monday to Friday: 8:30 – 17:00)
Mark Santos, Director at Positive East confirms his commitment to Newham residents:
“We were really saddened to see the results of National AIDS Trust’s research which shows there’s still so much more we need to do to address HIV stigma. More so than ever, we need challenge barriers and champion the community’s response to knowing their status and accessing any support that they may need. We’ve been at the forefront of HIV activism and response for 32 years and we’ll continue to fight for equity of access, whilst remembering those we lost to the virus along the way.
How can Adult Social Care help?
If you are living with HIV/AIDs, the council may be able to support you.
We will talk with you about your social, physical, medical, emotional and financial needs. However, in order to work out just how much, and what type of help is needed to make life easier for you, we do need to carry out an assessment.
After the assessment, we will identify and agree your needs with you and discuss the help and support available to meet them. We recognise the importance of confidentiality, especially for people affected by HIV/AIDs and we will not share any information with people outside of Adult Social Care without your consent, except in some exceptional circumstances. Exceptions would be when we have to provide information to help protect a vulnerable adult under the Mental Health Act 1983, or a child under the Children Act 1989.
