A confidential HIV test with clear advice on window periods, and proper support whatever the result.
Referred by a GMC-registered GP, results reviewed by the same doctor
Taken at a partner site near you
Results explained in plain English, not just a number
Your NHS records in the room, with your consent
Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
Five-star Google reviews from the people we have looked after
Registered with the Care Quality Commission
An HIV test is a single blood sample with a fast, definitive answer. It is also, for many people, the test they put off longest — which is precisely the problem, because HIV treatment today is genuinely transformative and depends entirely on knowing.
The position worth stating plainly: with effective treatment, people with HIV have a normal life expectancy and cannot pass the virus on to sexual partners. That is the settled evidence — undetectable equals untransmittable. Late diagnosis, by contrast, remains the single largest factor in poor outcomes in the UK.
A fourth-generation combined test, measuring both the p24 antigen — a viral protein appearing early in infection — and antibodies to HIV-1 (including group O) and HIV-2.
Detecting the antigen is what makes this generation of test valuable: it appears well before antibodies do, so detection is possible from around 10 days after exposure, where an antibody-only test would still read negative.
The window period is the thing to get right. A test at 45 days after exposure is considered conclusive for a fourth-generation test. Before that, a negative result reduces the likelihood but does not exclude infection, and a repeat is needed. We will tell you when your test will actually be conclusive rather than letting you take false reassurance from an early negative.
A reactive result is not a diagnosis. It always requires a confirmatory test on a second sample, because false positives do occur. We would explain that before you test rather than after a frightening phone call.
Two things that change the urgency entirely.
If exposure was within the last 72 hours, do not book a test — seek post-exposure prophylaxis now. PEP can prevent infection taking hold, it is time-critical, and it is available urgently from A&E or a sexual health clinic. Every hour matters.
And a flu-like illness with fever, rash and sore throat two to four weeks after a possible exposure can represent seroconversion illness — the body's initial response to infection. That is worth mentioning rather than dismissing as a virus.
Included: a fourth-generation test measuring HIV-1 p24 antigen together with antibodies to HIV-1, including group O, and HIV-2.
Because it detects the p24 antigen, which rises within the first few weeks of infection, early detection is possible from around 10 days after exposure. A test at 45 days after exposure is considered conclusive — before that, a negative result reduces the likelihood but does not exclude infection.
It can be run on its own, or as part of a blood-borne screen adding hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.
1. Consultation. Confidential, and focused on when to test rather than simply whether. Timing determines whether the result means anything.
2. Referral. To an accredited clinic at a time and location that suits you. Free NHS sexual health services also offer HIV testing, and rapid self-test kits are available — if either is the better route for you, we will say so rather than take the fee.
3. The sample. A single blood draw. No fasting.
4. Results review. Discussed with you directly, never by text alone. A reactive result means immediate referral to specialist HIV services, and we would make that connection the same day — modern treatment is usually a single daily tablet and is started promptly. Results stay separate from your NHS record unless you ask us to share them.
No fasting required. If exposure was within the last 72 hours, do not wait for a test — post-exposure prophylaxis is time-critical and available urgently from A&E or a sexual health clinic.
If a possible exposure was within the last 72 hours, do not wait for a test. Go to A&E or a sexual health clinic today and ask about PEP — post-exposure prophylaxis, a course of medication that can prevent HIV taking hold.
It is free, it is urgent, and it works best the sooner it is started. Testing now would tell you nothing about that exposure anyway, because it is far too early to show.
A fourth-generation test detects both HIV antibodies and p24 antigen, which is why it turns positive earlier than older antibody-only tests.
A negative result only covers exposures older than the window. It says nothing about last weekend.
Taken at the right point, a negative test is genuinely reassuring — this is a highly accurate test.
Worth knowing about PrEP if there is ongoing risk: preventive medication that is extremely effective and free from NHS sexual health services. If your risk is not a one-off, that is a better answer than repeat testing.
A reactive screening test is not a diagnosis — it always needs a confirmatory test, and false positives do occur.
And the thing worth saying plainly: HIV in the UK today is a treatable long-term condition. People on effective treatment have a normal life expectancy and cannot pass it on to sexual partners — undetectable equals untransmittable. Care is free on the NHS regardless of immigration status.
A negative result covers exposures more than 45 days ago. It does not cover recent ones.
If your risk was last week, testing today produces a negative result that means nothing — and can be falsely reassuring in the way that matters most.
PEP within 72 hours of an exposure, and PrEP for ongoing risk. Both are free from NHS sexual health services and both are more effective than testing after the fact.
We cannot prescribe either remotely — they need the specialist services that provide them.
Self-test kits are legitimate and free from many NHS services. Their limitation is the same window period, plus the fact that a reactive result still needs laboratory confirmation — and finding that out alone, at home, is hard.
HIV testing is free from NHS sexual health services, and free self-test kits are posted to your home across most of England.
Sexual health services do not need a GP referral — you can book directly, and they are confidential.
We say this plainly: for HIV testing specifically, the NHS route is usually the better one. It is free, it is fast, it includes full screening, and it can prescribe PEP and PrEP, which we cannot.
Speed and discretion, and having the conversation without a waiting room. Some people will pay for that and it is a legitimate reason.
But nobody should go untested because of cost, and that is the more important point on this page.
No — go to A&E or a sexual health clinic today and ask about PEP.
PEP can prevent HIV taking hold if started within 72 hours, and the sooner the better. It is free.
A test today would be negative regardless, because it is far too early to show anything. Do not let a test delay you.
Most infections are picked up by 4 weeks with a fourth-generation test, and a negative result at 45 days is conclusive for exposures before that point.
It means a confirmatory test is needed — it is not a diagnosis. False positives happen with screening tests.
This is worth stating clearly, because the fear is usually worse than the reality.
HIV in the UK is a treatable long-term condition. People diagnosed today and treated effectively have a normal life expectancy, and take medication that is typically one tablet a day.
And they cannot pass it on to sexual partners — undetectable equals untransmittable, which is established beyond doubt. Care is free on the NHS regardless of immigration status.
No — it is prescribed by NHS sexual health services, and it is free there.
If your risk is ongoing rather than a one-off, PrEP is a far better answer than repeated testing. It is worth booking.
Yes. NHS sexual health services are confidential and can be accessed without going through your GP, and results are not shared without your consent.
Usually yes. Full STI screening covers chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis alongside — syphilis in particular is rising in the UK and is easily missed.
Testing for one infection while leaving the others unasked is rarely the right answer.
Yes, and many are free from NHS services. The same window period applies, and a reactive result still needs laboratory confirmation.
No. No preparation of any kind, and it can be done at any time of day.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 23, 2026
On this page
Ongoing
Time to be seen
Appointment length
Your NHS record in the room
Written treatment plan
Told when a test isn’t needed
Cost
Same day, usually
20 minutes
Yes, with your consent
Included
Yes, and told why
£40 for 20 minutes
Varies by practice
Typically 10 minutes
Yes, your full record
Not routinely
Usually
Free
Same day
Often 10 to 15 minutes
Usually not
Sometimes charged
Varies by provider
Often a subscription
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
Patient reviews
