Posted on: 27 January 2022
National HIV Testing Week is back on Monday 7 February 2022, to promote regular testing among key population groups in England. This year, the campaign returns with its successful creative to ‘give HIV the finger’ and get tested to know your status.
Testing for HIV with CNWL is quick and easy. All it takes is a finger-prick test and you can even test from the comfort of your own home. But the number of people being diagnosed late in England still remains high. It’s estimated that there are over 106,000 people living with HIV in the UK, and from those 5,150 remain undiagnosed. By testing regularly, we can reduce the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV and those diagnosed late.
People can live with HIV for a long time without knowing it. Finding out sooner means that you can start treatment, stay healthy and avoid passing the virus on to anyone else.
How to get tested
CNWL runs sexual health services across London and Surrey. There are lots of ways to get a HIV test with CNWL. You can order free tests from our Sexual Health website or visit Sexual health London.
Residents in Surrey (who are over 18) can visit our dedicated page to order home testing kits.
You can also speak to our staff in your local sexual health service, or your GP. Our clinic pages are here.
We also provide HIV care and treatment at the Bloomsbury Clinic in London and from two clinics in Surrey in Guildford and Redhill. In London, you can transfer your care to us by calling us on 020 3317 5100 or email b.patients@nhs.net. In Surrey you can call us on 01483 675 389 and press option 4 for HIV Services or email hiv-referralsandadvice.cnwl@nhs.net
Health promotion and testing in the community during HIV Testing Week
To mark HIV Testing Week, CNWL’s Sexual Health outreach teams in London and Surrey will also be raising awareness about the importance of testing for HIV.
Our Surrey Sexual Health Team have arranged for Pride in Surrey to promote our online testing kits for residents in Surrey through their social media channels.
CNWL’s Sexual Health Promotion Team, CLASH will be holding a variety of clinics and outreach testing sessions to support the LGBT+, Black Asian Minority Ethnic, Homeless and Sex worker community. They’ll be offering tests for HIV and raising awareness around pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) a medication to prevent HIV.
Find out where some of the outreach sessions will be taking place below:
| Date | Time | Outreach session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 7 February | 9am to 1pm | CLASH Walk-in sex worker clinic at Mortimer Market Centre |
| Tuesday 8 February | 2pm to 4pm | LGBT+ Testing and Health promotion at Islington MIND |
| Wednesday 9 February | 11am to 1pm | Testing and Health Promotion at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants |
| Thursday 10 February | 12pm to 4pm | SHOC Walk-in clinic for sex workers at Archway Centre |
| Friday 11 February | 9am to 1pm | CLASH Walk-in clinic for sex workers at Mortimer Market Centre |
Let’s talk about PrEP
PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s a medicine people at risk of HIV can take to prevent them from getting HIV. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective. But there’s still a lot of people who don’t know what PrEP is, who it’s for, or where to access it. This HIV Testing Week and beyond, we want to raise much needed awareness of PrEP in the community. Find out you can start the conversation.