HIV care at Devon Sexual Health
We consider HIV care to be a core component of the work we do in sexual health. We pride ourselves on the quality of HIV care we offer to patients across Devon.
The team
We have a dedicated HIV team working across the service to deliver a high standard of HIV care to an expanding cohort of over 600 people living with HIV. This team comprises consultant doctors, specialist nurses, a HIV specialist pharmacist, and dedicated clinical secretaries.
Locations
HIV care is currently provided at our hub locations in Exeter, Barnstaple and Torbay. Each service has dedicated clinics across the week. Please contact the clinical teams if you would like to discuss your care.
Care provided
Our team currently provide all aspects of holistic person-centred HIV management to our patients. This includes:
- Monitoring as recommended in BHIVA guidelines
- Specialist circumstances such as severe immunosuppression, polypharmacy, pregnancy
- Inpatient management of HIV and non-HIV illnesses
- Well established links into local services including psychological support, peer support, advocacy, renal and cardiovascular medicine, hepatology, and cognitive assessment
- Sexual and reproductive health
How to get in touch
You can contact the teams via the following routes:
Exeter: Telephone – 01392 284966
Barnstaple: Telephone – 01271 341562
Torbay: Telephone – 01803 656500
Frequently asked questions about
HIV care
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What is different about HIV care?
Unlike contraception and STI care, which is managed and paid for by local councils, HIV care is still provided via a contract with NHS England. We have fought hard to ensure that the complexities of these funding relationships do not impact anyone attending HIV services across Devon.
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Do I have to see another team to talk about contraception or sexual health?
No. Our staff can manage discuss, investigate and manage any sexual health issues as part of your routine HIV care.
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Is the service confidential?
Our sexual health and contraception services are confidential – even for those under 16 years old.
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Can I transfer my HIV care into a Devon Sexual Health clinic?
We’d be happy to discuss a transfer of care into our service. Please get in touch with the teams via the contact details above.
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Do I have to disclose to my GP?
No. Although we believe open and honest communication with your GP is one of the key aspects of providing holistic high quality HIV care, we do not enforce a policy of disclosing to GPs. The decision to disclose is your choice alone.
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Can I be seen at the evening or weekends?
Unfortunately at present we only see patients for brief clinical reviews and/or provision of medications on some weekday evenings. We have no current weekend HIV care. Patients attending for clinical monitoring visits, investigations or “one-stop” reviews have to be seen during Monday-Friday working hours. This is due to specific requirements for successful processing of blood samples in our local laboratories.
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My case is complex. Does your team have the experience?
We are confident in our knowledge and experience in managing complex HIV cases. Our teams have experience working in HIV for many years and bring experience from training in a number of the leading HIV units in the country. We also have established links into service, regional and national multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings to discuss complex cases.