COMMUNITY nurses will be setting up an HIV testing centre at St Bride’s church, on Percy Street, L8, next week.

It's the first in a series of three drop-in sessions in Liverpool city centre and comes on the heels of recent statistics which show the rate of HIV has increased by 300 percent in a decade - with a quarter of those infected unaware of the fact.

On Monday July 27, St Bride’s will be open from 12-3pm, with specialist community HIV Nurses on hand to offer friendly and confidential advice on sexual health and provide a free HIV test.

The session is being run in conjunction with the Armistead Centre HIV prevention and sexual health promotion service.

More than 500 people in Liverpool are living with diagnosed HIV, says organiser Liverpool Community Health. Nationally, there are now more than 100,000 people with HIV.

HIV statistics for Merseyside in 2013, compiled by Sahir House, showed.

  • 119 individuals were new to HIV services.

  • 41 percent of new infections were through heterosexual sex – a 23 percent increase on the previous year.

  • Among new cases, 21 percent were aged between 15-24 years – a higher proportion than the national average

  • 8 percent of new cases were among the over 50s - a 44 percent increase on the number seen in the previous year.

  • In total 1,026 Merseyside residents were accessing treatment for HIV – a 4 percent increase on the previous year.

Robert Downes, HIV Nurse at LCH, said: "We know that early diagnosis and treatment is vital, it leads to improvement in quality of life and reduces the risk of it being transmitted to others. The majority of people who are living with HIV and follow the recommended advice about treatment live healthy lives and have close to normal life expectancies."

The other two testing sessions are on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th August from 12-3pm at the Health Information Centre on Hanover Street. Rapid testing will be available at these sessions – but not at the St Bride’s session as it is a community venue and not a clinic. Rapid HIV testing is also available at The Armistead Centre in The Beat on Hanover Street every Wednesday from 2pm till 3.30pm.

Martin Fenerty, manager of the Armistead Centre, said: "The free test involves a specialist nurse taking a blood sample from the arm; it’s quick and relatively painless. The result will be available in one week, when the patient will be contacted with the result and offered further support if necessary."

St Bride’s hosts Open Table on the third Sunday of every month. It's open to all people, but particularly for the LGBT community of Merseyside.

Cate Jacobs, a church warden at St Bride’s said, "The acceptance and inclusivity of St Bride’s are really important when people living with HIV can still experience judgment or feel silenced within faith communities."