If you come to an NCA Emergency Department (Salford, Oldham, Bury and Rochdale) and you are aged 16 years old or over and you need to have a blood test done, we will automatically test your blood for HIV and hepatitis unless you tell the person taking your blood that you do not want this done. This is part of a national NHS initiative to detect people living with these viruses so they can be offered treatment and specialist follow-up, ultimately saving lives.
The Royal Oldham Hospital ED, Fairfield General Hospital ED and Rochdale Infirmary (Urgent Treatment Centre) can screen test for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Salford Royal Hospital ED currently can only screen test for HIV and Hepatitis C.
If you have had a test done for HIV, Hepatitis C and / or Hepatitis B in the last 12 months, you will not be tested again as part of your visit and having emergency blood tests taken.
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FAQs
- HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B are viruses carried in the blood.
- Many people with these viruses have no symptoms and are unaware of carrying them.
- Knowing you have (or do not have) HIV or Hepatitis C or Hepatitis B means that you can protect yourself and others.
- HIV affects the immune system by making it weaker, meaning it is much harder for the body to fight off infection.
- Late diagnosis of HIV reduces life expectancy by around 15 years and causes significant ill-health.
- Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are major causes of liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.
- It is possible to pass these viruses to others through sex, or contact with infected blood, (e.g. sharing needles).
- Taking treatment regularly eliminates the risk of passing the viruses onto others.
- HIV can be managed with daily tablets, these antiretroviral medicines, work by stopping the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage.
- If diagnosed early enough, people with HIV can live a long and healthy life.
- Hepatitis C can be cured with a simple 12 week course of a tablet a day. Ignoring Hepatitis C can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.
- Most adults who are living with Hepatitis B feel well and do not know that they carry the virus. Those people will need regular check-ups in a specialist clinic which can help to prevent complications such as liver cancer or other liver problems in the future. Treatment can prevent this very effectively when is needed. Better treatments are coming in the next few years for Hepatitis B that will be able to clear the virus. You can prevent hepatitis B by vaccination.
- The only way to know is to get a specific blood test, which is not usually included in blood tests done by your GP.
- We are now routinely providing HIV and Hepatitis C testing for all our patients aged 16 and over who are having their blood taken in our Emergency Department for other reasons.
- If you have a reactive result (provisional positive), we will contact you to arrange an appointment and discuss the next steps.
- If you do not hear from us within 28 days, you can assume that your HIV, Hepatitis C and / or Hepatitis B screen test (depending on where you attended) was negative. If for some reason your sample was unable to be tested for technical reasons, a member of the team will contact you and offer a retest.
- You can also access your results by contacting our testing team on 0161 720 2638
- It can take 6 to 12 weeks for HIV or Hepatitis B and up to 6 months for Hepatitis C.
- If you have been at recent risk, you can get another test through your GP or local sexual health service.
- If you do not want to have your blood tested for HIV and / or Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, please inform the member of staff taking your blood tests.
- Please note that your results will be kept confidential, and we will only contact you if you have a provisional positive result.
Depending on the Emergency Department you visit, all three viruses will automatically be tested for unless you tell us you do not want to be tested (opting out), or you are under 16 years of age, or you have had a test in the last 12 months. If you only want to be tested for one of the viruses, some of the Emergency Departments within the NCA cannot do this automatically. So please let the person taking your blood know first, they may not have the right access to test your blood for the three viruses separately. You will most likely be asked to speak to the doctor or the acute care practitioner who sees you as part of your emergency visit to help with this. The national screening programme is designed to screen test for all three viruses in one go.