It will be at two of the city’s Accident and Emergency departments
The team at the NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Liverpool’s hospitals are ramping up HIV testing efforts, introducing opt-out procedures for several departments. Patients undergoing routine blood tests will now be screened for other blood-borne viruses, including Hepatitis B and C, unless they decline.
The “innovative” approach is being introduced to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments at Aintree University Hospital and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. The measure is designed to boost the testing rate, spot undiagnosed cases, and combat health inequalities by targeting people unaware of their risk. It will also allow those who need it access to life-saving treatment.
Director of public health, professor Matthew Ashton, said: “Liverpool has a proud history of delivering bold public health interventions, and we are once again at the forefront of innovation with this initiative. Unique approaches like this are essential if we are to achieve zero new HIV transmissions by 2030 and empower our local population.”
While there is no cure for HIV, early diagnosis combined with highly effective treatment allows individuals to live a normal life span. Furthermore, effective treatment ensures that people cannot pass the virus to others, a concept known as U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable).
Resources allocated through this initiative will also support vital counselling and peer support services to guide newly diagnosed individuals into appropriate care and treatment pathways. The approach will also hopefully re-engage individuals who have previously been diagnosed but are not currently in care.
Liverpool’s Director of Public Health Matt Ashton(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Miiror)
Dr Jim Gardner, chief medical officer at NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, which runs both Aintree University Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “Through making the screening of these blood-borne viruses a part of routine care in our emergency departments, it means that we can stop the stigma that’s often associated and reduce health inequalities for our local communities.
“Not only can we support patients with access to the care they need, but through this initiative, we can now potentially save someone’s life who would have previously remained undiagnosed.”
Liverpool will be among the first cities in the UK to implement this testing in A&E, following successful pilots in London, Brighton, Birmingham, and Manchester. These pilots identified nearly 1,000 cases of HIV and over 3,000 cases of Hepatitis B and C in just 18 months.
A row of ambulances outside the Accident & Emergency Department at Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
The news comes as Liverpool continues to make significant progress towards achieving zero new HIV transmissions by 2030. As a ‘Fast Track City,’ part of a global network committed to ending HIV and AIDS, Liverpool has reduced the number of undiagnosed cases from 115 four years ago to an estimated 45–50 today. The expansion of opt-out testing will further support efforts to locate and support those individuals.
Chief executive of national HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, Richard Angell said: “We campaigned for this highly effective A&E testing for HIV and hepatitis being extended to Liverpool to turbo charge the city’s endeavour to end new HIV cases by 2030.
“It will transform care for those attending Emergency Departments – too often their undiagnosed HIV or hepatitis is not spotted. From now this cohort can have the cause, not just the symptoms, treated.”