Emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses

Many people who have an undiagnosed blood-borne virus infection do not realise they have been at risk. They can feel completely well for many years before developing symptoms, and may never have had the opportunity to get tested.  

All three infections, once known about, can be effectively controlled or cured.  Getting people onto treatment also helps to prevent transmission of these viruses to other people.

The UK Government has set a goal of ending new infections with HIV or Hepatitis C in England by 2030. In support of this goal, a pilot scheme of opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses began in some Emergency Departments in April 2022. 

This has been very successful, identifying thousands of people around the country with infections that may not been diagnosed otherwise, giving them the chance to access effective treatment and care from the NHS. 

To build on this success, the scheme is now being rolled out to more Emergency Departments around the country, including at the RVI.

Please tell the person taking your bloods before your blood sample has been taken if you do not want to be tested.  

If you decide not to get tested for any reason, this will not affect the care you receive from us in any way.

Not everybody who attends the emergency department will receive a test.

If you do not receive a test but would like to request one for yourself or a family member, please contact your GP and ask for a blood borne virus test.

Alternatively, you can order a home test kit.

• Order a self-test kit for Hepatitis C
• Order a self-test kit for HIV

No. The vast majority of tests that we do will be negative, and it is not feasible for us  to contact every person who has had a negative test.  If your test is negative we can be confident that you do not have an infection with any of these viruses.

You can check your results by sending an e-mail including your full name and date of birth to [email protected]

The commonest way of contracting:

• HIV in the UK is through unprotected sex, including between men and women. 
• Hepatitis C is through injecting drugs, although it can also be contracted through unprotected sex, particularly sex between men.
• HBV as an adult is through unprotected sex or injecting drugs.

Tests for these viruses can be negative if done too early in an infection.  If you think that you may have been at risk within the two months before attending the Emergency Department, please contact your GP or local sexual health clinic for further advice about when to get re-tested.

If you think you may be at risk of contracting HIV you can also access free treatment to reduce their risk of getting HIV. This treatment is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and is available through your local sexual health service. HBV can be vaccinated against to prevent infection, if you are at high risk of contracting HBV you can access vaccination through your GP or sexual health services.

If any of your tests are positive, a member of the appropriate specialist team will contact you to explain the result and to arrange next steps with you.  When you book in to the ED, please make sure your contact details are up to date so we can get in touch if we need to.

If your HIV test is positive, this will need to be confirmed with a second test.  This is because sometimes an HIV test that is only weakly positive does not mean that the person truly has HIV.

If your Hepatitis B or C result is positive it means that you have antibodies to one or both of these viruses.  Many people carry antibodies to these viruses even if they don’t have a current infection, so a positive test in the ED needs further assessment by a specialist.

If you want to check your result, please send an email including your full name and date of birth to [email protected].

We will respond to any emails we receive within 7 days, once your test results are available.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that is spread through sex and blood. It damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
 
Although there is currently no cure for HIV, there are very effective treatments, usually taken as daily tablets, which mean most people with the virus can live long and healthy lives.  People who are diagnosed early generally respond to treatment better than those who are diagnosed late.  As well as controlling the virus and keeping people healthy, HIV treatment also stops the virus being passed on to sexual partners or to children during pregnancy.

You can find more information about HIV treatment at Newcastle Hospitals.

Hepatitis B is a virus that is spread through sex, blood and bodily fluids.  It can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, or between children in early childhood.  It infects the liver and if left untreated it can result in scarring of the liver (cirrhosis).  This can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.

There is currently no cure for Hepatitis B, but there are very effective drug treatments that stop liver damage, allowing people to live long and healthy lives.

You can find out more information about the teams who specialise in managing and treating patients with Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis C is a virus that is spread through blood.  It infects the liver and if left undiagnosed and untreated, can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.

Hepatitis C can be cured. Treatment is with tablets that are taken daily for 8 or 12 weeks.  The tablets have very few side-effects and more than 95 out of every 100 people with Hepatitis C will be cured with their first course of treatment.

You can find out more information about the teams who specialise in managing and treating patients with hepatitis C.

The treatments for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are all free and available on the NHS.

No. Having a negative HIV test has no effect on getting life insurance or a mortgage. Even in the case of a positive result you should not have difficulty getting personal medical insurance, loans or mortgages.  Insurance companies have understood for many years that HIV is a long-term health condition and that people do very well on treatment, with almost normal life expectancies.