News and events
3 December 2024
A new report published recently by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found that the NHS England emergency department opt-out testing programme for bloodborne viruses has helped to diagnose thousands of people with HIV, Hepatitis B and C.
The report, commissioned by NHS England, evaluates the first 24 months of the programme, which was introduced in April 2022. The programme involves testing people who are having blood tests in emergency departments, regardless of their symptoms, to identify, care and treat HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The programme has been rolled out across 34 emergency departments (EDs) in areas that are known to have high rates of blood borne virus infections.