If someone has HIV, finding out means they can start treatment, stay healthy and avoid passing the virus on to anyone else.
The only way to find out if you have HIV is to take a test, as symptoms of HIV may not appear for many years.
Testing for HIV is free and involves taking a small sample of blood for analysis. The sample is either sent away to a laboratory for testing and results are available within a few days, or point of care testing enables you to receive results within 30 minutes.
You can also order an STI Home Test Kit for HIV or get tested at a community location if Point of Care Testing (POCT) is available.
If you think there’s a chance you could have HIV, have any symptoms, or have been told a partner has HIV, you should arrange to be seen in a clinic as soon as possible.
You can get tested at all of our bSHaW sexual health clinics. You can visit a walk-in clinic at Brookside, Aylesbury or SHAW, High Wycombe, or you can book an appointment to be seen in a clinic. You can book an appointment online, or by calling 0300 3030 2880.
If you have no symptoms and just want a check-up, then you can request a free home testing kit which involves taking a simple finger-prick blood test and sending it off in the post for testing.
Please note you must be a Buckinghamshire resident to request postal testing kits.
In some community locations you can also test for HIV with a trained Brook Specialist. They will offer Point of Care Testing, also known as rapid HIV testing, by taking a finger-prick blood sample and results will be available within less than 30 minutes.
In Buckinghamshire all of our bSHaW Sexual Health Clinics also offer Point of Care Testing by taking a finger-prick blood sample.