Barts and The London HIV Service | Your outpatient appointment | Follow up appointments / treatment
Follow up appointments / treatment
After your first appointment with a nurse, you will be referred to your doctor who will be responsible for your treatment. Your doctor will discuss the best care for you and will tell you if it is necessary for you to start treatment. Please ask your doctor to explain anything you do not understand. People with HIV who are well, with good immunity, do not need drug treatment and simply have to attend clinic to check on their progress. This might be every 3-6 months.
You will be responsible for making your clinic appointments and it is best to make your next appointment as soon as you have finished your previous appointment. The doctor or nurse may give you a note for reception so they know what type of appointment you need and when it should be.
All appointments with doctors are 20 minutes in length. We ask that you arrive on time so you can be seen promptly.
You will also need to come to the clinic for blood tests. Usually your doctor will ask you to come for these two weeks prior to your next appointment. You can drop in to have bloods taken during our opening hours but remember that last bloods are at 5.45pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6.45pm on Wednesdays and 2.30pm on Fridays.
Once you have begun HIV treatment, the key to keeping good health is to keep taking your drugs regularly to protect yourself from the virus. It is vital you take your medications and to be prepared to continue taking them. Our nurses and pharmacists will support you with this. HIV patients normally start on a simple regime with a minimum amount of tablets. You will be prescribed a medicine that is right for your HIV status and we will take into account your occupation and social lifestyle. If you would like to find out more about treatment programmes go to http://www.aidsmap.com/cms1189782.asp
Once you and your doctor are happy with your therapy – this normally takes approximately six months - you may become what we call a ‘stable patient’. As a stable patient on treatment you will have a consultation once every four months, which may be with a nurse or doctor.
You may also choose to register with our E-clinic or T-clinic, click here for more information.
Two weeks before your your next appointment, you must attend for a blood test so your results are ready in time for your next appointment. The emphasis is very much on you to attend clinic for a blood test.
