HIV Testing Opt-Out Policy

An experimental NHS testing policy has successfully diagnosed an extra 700 cases of HIV in the first year of its operation, a Health Minister has told Parliament.

An opt-out policy for testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and C in emergency departments has caught over 700 HIV diagnoses and more than 2,000 other blood-borne infections, said Neil O’Brien, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for and Social Care, responding to an oral question in Parliament.

Patients attending A&E at 20 NHS hospitals in England have been tested for HIV and other infections if their blood is drawn for any reason, although patients had the right to opt-out of the scheme.

The minister said: “We are doing everything we can to meet that visionary goal to stop HIV transmission in this country”.

The scheme began in November 2022 with the aim to meet the World Health Organisation target of zero HIV transmissions in England by 2030.

Public Health England figures showed that 77 per cent of people in the UK had never been tested for HIV.

The HIV charity, The Terrence Higgins Trust says that stigma, particularly surrounding sexual orientation, is a significant obstacle for men to proactively test for the illness.

Data from the National AIDS Trust shows that heterosexual sex is the leading route of HIV transmission, and heterosexual men are the most likely group to receive a late diagnosis.

Untreated, HIV can develop into AIDS, a condition that stops your immune system fighting illnesses. It has a high mortality rate and led to 603 deaths in the UK last year. 

For more information, support and advice, visit the Terrance Higgins Trust website here, or call the Trust’s helpline on 0808 802 1221.