"HIV stigma at GP surgery"

I attended my GP surgery  at the recommendation of my HIV consultant because he was concerned I may be pre-diabetic. I was then advised that the GP surgery would need to take blood samples from me to run some more tests. However, when I was handed the paperwork related to this blood test by the nurse, I noticed that there was a large yellow sticker on it which said ‘DANGER OF INFECTION’, on top of which the nurse was going to write ‘HIV positive’. I asked why they needed to do this and was told it was so the nurse taking my blood would be aware that they should be careful with my blood.

As you can imagine, this was very upsetting for me – this is very stigmatising behaviour on the part of my GP surgery and shows a lack of understanding of HIV, and of how to work with people living with HIV. I was so upset that I didn’t go through with giving a blood test and considered disengaging from NHS services altogether, including for my HIV care, because I was so shocked that I had been treated this way. I feel my GP surgery needs to receive training on working with people living with HIV so that they stop this practice immediately, and no one else is made to feel like I felt that day.