Potentially life-saving HIV and hepatitis research project goes live at UHNM
A national research project helping to provide potentially life-saving treatment to people who would otherwise not have been aware they were living with HIV, hepatitis b or hepatitis C has gone live at UHNM.
Patients aged 16 and over attending UHNM’s Emergency Department (ED) and in need of a blood test will now receive screening for blood-borne viruses (BBVs) unless they ask to opt-out.
The initiative, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is expected to see the Royal Stoke’s virology laboratories screen approximately 86,000 patients a year.
Staffordshire has been chosen to take part in the programme as it has local authority areas with a high prevalence of HIV, with 2.2 cases per 1,000.
Data from 2021 suggests an estimated 4,400 people in the UK were living with an undiagnosed HIV.
Dr Andrew Bennett, Specialist Doctor in Emergency Medicine, said: “This opt-out BBV testing allows us to find a lot more of the unknowns from across the community. Patients with BBVs such as HIV or hepatitis often have no symptoms and are unaware that they are living with an infection. The only way to find out if someone has a BBV is to carry out a blood test. The prospect of being able to identify infection in patients, who would otherwise not know, and be able to offer effective treatment whilst reducing the risk of onward infection is an exciting opportunity beyond the normal role of ED.
“We know from other hospitals who have already started this project that prevalence of BBVs is higher in their areas than previously thought, meaning there is a great opportunity to find and treat these patients that are either previously lost to follow-up appointments, or never known to carry a BBV. And now that the treatment is so much more effective, these are no longer conditions that are life-limiting or carry the same stigma. It means we can give these patients a better chance of a healthier, longer life, by getting them on treatments earlier.”
UHNM is one of 47 hospital sites across the country to take part in the research project.
The national HIV action plan published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has committed to ending HIV transmissions in England by 2030, reducing HIV transmissions by 80 per-cent between 2019 and 2025.
Posters and leaflets are available in ED to inform patients about the testing. Patients not required to have a blood test during their visit will not be tested.
Debbie Lowe, Associate Directorate Manager for Emergency Medicine said: “Studies have shown that testing uptake is higher if implementing an opt-out approach rather to opt-in. The programme rollout doesn’t make any difference to the care patients attending ED would otherwise receive, nor does it impact upon our core function as an Emergency Department, it’s just an extra bottle to fill during a blood test. Information on the programme will be displayed throughout the department and provided to patients upon arrival.
“The results of the screening will be anonymised and used for research purposes, only those with reactive tests will be contacted for further testing and specialised support.”