Everyone who goes for treatment at any London hospital’s accident and emergency centre will be offered an HIV test, as part of plans to increase early diagnosis of the disease.
NHS England chiefs said this was an effective way to test the many HIV-positive people who may not have other routine opportunities to check if they have the condition, which, untreated, leads to AIDS.
Some 42 per cent of HIV diagnoses in the UK are made at a point when the person’s immune system has already been significantly damaged. People with a late diagnosis are more than eight times more likely to die from the illness, according to the NHS.
Nearly 30 per cent of gay and bisexual men were diagnosed late across the UK in 2020. A staggering 59 per cent of straight black African men had a late diagnosis. Some 1,600 people in London had undiagnosed HIV in 2020, a third of the figure for the whole of the UK.
Hospital staff will also check for hepatitis B and C if patients accept the testing offer.
What’s going on at Maydew House? A breakdown of why everyone had to leave the Bermondsey block
NHS medical director in London Dr Chris Streather said: “The NHS in London is committed to increasing early detection diagnoses of HIV, to ensure people have access to the life-saving medication which prevents long-term health issues and reduces the chance of unknown transmissions to others.
“The opt-out HIV, Hepatitis B and C testing in Emergency Departments offers patients already in hospital care in London, the chance to check on their health without an additional trip.
“Offering this routine testing in all EDs in London is fantastic, so we can identify those who may not know they are living with HIV, get them the treatment to live long healthy lives and avoid future inpatient NHS care.”
Some London trusts, like King’s College Hospital, are already offering HIV tests to A&E patients. Around two-thirds of people at King’s have taken up the offer in the past five years, leading to 116 diagnoses.