HIV Prescription Service
The HIV prescription service is provided by HealthNet Homecare, a homecare service.
What is Homecare and who are HealthNet?
Homecare is the provision of clinician-led care in the comfort of your own home. Your medication will be delivered directly to you at home. HealthNet are one of the leading homecare providers in the UK. HealthNet’s aim is to make your life easier by taking the stress out of managing your medication, so you can focus on you.
How will HealthNet deliver your medication?
HealthNet are a reliable and professional organisation, acting as an additional support service to the NHS.
HealthNet offer a range of tools to make the medication delivery process as easy as possible for you. These include:
- A secure patient portal for you to manage your medication deliveries through
- A new app for ease of managing your medication ‘on the go’
- A dedicated customer care line should you have any concerns
- Face-to-face and virtual nurse training and support
What happens the first time you’re registered with HealthNet?
After we register your details with HealthNet, they will contact you directly to introduce themselves and arrange the first delivery. You may have already received a message containing a one-time link to schedule your delivery.
During this call, HealthNet will ask some quick security questions to confirm they are talking to the correct person. HealthNet will then set up the first medication delivery on a date that suits you.
MyHealthNet App
HealthNet have launched MyHealthNet, a new patient app to help make managing your medication deliveries easier. You can log in securely with your unique HealthNet CT number to book and confirm deliveries quickly and easily.
The new MyHealthNet patient app can be downloaded through Google Play and Apple App stores onto any smart phone.
Benefits of using the app include:
- Being able to book and confirm deliveries electronically
- Change and/or update delivery addresses
- Check medication orders
- Check if your order has been dispatched
- Automatically add delivery dates to your calendar
- In-app reminders, so you never miss a delivery
More information on HealthNet Homecare
For more information visit www.healthnethomecare.co.uk.
FAQs can be found here: https://www.healthnethomecare.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/.
If you need to contact HealthNet, details can be found here.
About our HIV Treatment and Care service
Our service is part of the sexual health service which includes managing HIV infection outside of a hospital environment.
We provide a high-quality service for people living with HIV and the team works to make sure you’re at the centre of the decision-making process. We provide HIV care to any NHS patients wishing to attend our service, which includes free and confidential treatment for people living with HIV.
You can contact us directly if you are newly diagnosed; you don’t need a referral from any other medical service. Referrals are accepted from patients, health or social care professionals, or non-profit organisations.
Clinics
When you’re diagnosed as HIV positive, you will need to be reviewed in our service. Clients who are unwell with complex health needs or newly diagnosed will attend a ‘consultant lead clinic’, meaning you will see one of our doctors.
Patients can also attend nurse-led clinics with our Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) when they are considered to be stable. The CNS Team has a holistic approach that focuses on lifestyle choices and health improvement. These include alcohol intake, diet, exercise, smoking, recreational drug use, sexual health and social issues, as well as a health assessment, prescribing medication and requesting bloods.
If you feel you are at risk of HIV
If you feel you are at risk of HIV infection, please visit one of our sexual health clinics and ask for a HIV test. You can also have a HIV test at a number of healthcare settings, including your GP, through some sexual health prevention teams or you may be able to order a test for free over the internet through SH:24 (people living in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin) or sh.uk (people living in Shropshire).
Information for patients
Transferring your care
Patients can contact us directly using our contact number (contact details at bottom of the page), or by visiting the clinic in person.
Please bring:
- a list of all the medications your taking
- letters/reports from your referring doctor (if applicable)
- your GP details
Your first visit can take up to 1 hour. The nurse will take additional health information and explain how our service works. They may take, with your consent, some more blood samples and help you to arrange your next appointment(s) with your new doctor.
Routine review-booked appointments
HIV care is provided through booked appointments. You will be informed by your clinician at your consultation when you need to return for review.
You need to book appointments through reception over the phone or before leaving clinic after your review. You will receive a text when your appointment is booked and reminders prior to the day. If the date you have is not convenient please call us and change your appointment (contact details at bottom of the page).
Blood tests
You may be advised to have these done 2 weeks before your routine review, to enable the clinician to see them at the consultation however they can be performed at your clinic review; you may be called back if they need actioning.
If you are unwell
If you feel you need to be seen urgently due to a HIV related problem, please contact the Clinical Nurse Specialists. Call the clinic in the morning (contact details at bottom of the page) and the CNS will advise whether you should be seen immediately, at the first available appointment or possibly your GP, walk-in centre or A&E.
If you experience an urgent problem outside of clinic opening times, contact your GP or attend your nearest A&E.
Emergency supplies of medicines
It’s important that there’s no interruption to your HIV medicines. If you’re low on medication, emergency prescription can only be given for one month and a follow up review must be booked. This can be done by contacting the Clinical Nurse Specialist (contact details at bottom of the page). Supplies longer than this will only normally be issued after a regular follow-up appointment and blood tests. It is advisable that you do not run out of stock. Please be aware that emergency scripts can take up to 48 hours to be dispensed.
Sexual health testing for HIV positive patients
Sexual health testing for people with no symptoms* is offered to all our patients as part of our routine tests. If you need a sexual health test outside of your appointments, or if you have symptoms, you can walk in to the sexual health clinic. You can also access contraception and get advice on sexual health at the sexual health clinic.
*common symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection include unusual discharge from the vagina or penis, lumps/sores/blisters around the genitals and pain when weeing.
Vaccination
HIV clients may also be offered vaccination after discussion with your clinician for:
- HPV
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumonia
- Flu
- Monkeypox
Yearly cervical screening (smear testing) is available to HIV clients in Stoke-on-Trent & North Staffordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin who meet the criteria. We advise HIV clients in South Staffordshire, to visit their GP for cervical screening.
The Team
The HIV team consists of Clinical Nurse Specialists, doctors and health advisers.
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS)
The HIV CNS can assess, plan and prescribe for HIV patients; this includes the management of stable clients, and phone triage if you need advice. They can also signpost and refer to other agencies to give support. The team also provides HIV support after your test, including access into clinic and support through client journey.
Doctors
The consultant leads a patient’s clinical care and has overall responsibility for making sure a long-term plan is in place. They check all the information relevant to your care through review, reflection and ensuring safe systems are in place. Your named consultant will be either an infectious disease or genitourinary medicine consultant, who specialises in HIV medicine.
HIV Pharmacist
The HIV pharmacist can offer a specialist assessment of your HIV medication and any others you may take (prescribed, over the counter, herbal and so on). You can see the pharmacist in clinic when starting medication, changing, adding new medications or for an annual medication review.
Health Adviser
You may see a Health Adviser within a sexual health clinic, to talk about avoiding exposure to or reducing the risks of getting a sexually transmitted infection. Their role may also involve supporting those who do get diagnosed with an infection and helping with partner notification, although your Clinical Nurse Specialist may do this.
Contact details
HIV Clinical Nurse Specialists can be contacted via the clinic on:
0808 178 0955 – Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin
0300 404 2996 – Shropshire