The index person may ask a healthcare provider to take on the responsibility of informing their sexual partner/s of the need for them to seek HIV testing. 

Experienced healthcare providers with a good understanding of HIV and who use sensitivity and a person-centred approach in their practice should be able to discuss partner notification with their index patients. 

Healthcare providers who do not have extensive experience in partner notification can request support, advice, and information from experts who work in this area. There are healthcare providers in each Australian state, as well as other countries, who undertake partner notification work on a full-time basis.  Details of these workers can be obtained usually through a local public health unit of a government health department or via an internet search of local sexual health clinical services.  

The healthcare provider does not need to know the full name and contact details of every partner for partner notification to be carried out successfully.  Partner notification can be completed with limited information, such as a first name and a mobile phone number of the partner. Sometimes, even just a first name and an address, or work location, or details of where the named person can be found is sufficient for experts to notify a partner. 

However, the index person’s healthcare provider may not feel comfortable undertaking partner notification on behalf of the index person or may not have enough time available to do the work themselves. In this case, partner notification experts can take on the task after referral from the index person’s healthcare provider.