Plans to make HIV testing more widely available have been announced with a community testing programme to be rolled out.

Today Redbridge council announced plans, as part of the national HIV testing campaign, to make HIV testing more widely available and easier to access. 

Currently, Redbridge residents are only able to access HIV testing by going to a specialised clinic at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

But a new community testing programme, which will begin early next year, will give people the chance to be tested in various locations in the borough.

A testing centre will be located in the Roding ward, which covers parts of Woodford, with the council saying more details about precise locations will be available closer to the time.

The other wards with centres will be located in Hainault, Loxford, Goodmayes and Chadwell.

Further plans are also underway to enable GPs to offer tests to new patients registering with practices as part of their overall check-up.

Councillor Wes Streeting, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This is an excellent step forward in the important task in ensuring that people can get tested for HIV.

“Early diagnosis of HIV is absolutely critical so that we can ensure that people get the help they need as soon as possible, and reduce the spread of the virus.”