A&E HIV testing a game changer - doctor

Dr Steve Taylor has lobbied tirelessly for opt-out HIV testing in the West Midlands

Plans for A&E units in the West Midlands to test blood for HIV have been hailed a "game changer" by a leading sexual health doctor.

Eleven hospitals in the Midlands are among 46 in England to receive a share of £20m funding to expand a trial of so-called opt-out testing, with the aim of identifying people unaware they are living with the virus.

Trials have been taking place for the last 18 months in 33 hospitals in London, Greater Manchester, Sussex and Blackpool, where HIV prevalence is classed by the NHS as "very high".

The scheme identified 934 new cases, the Department of Health said.

Dr Steve Taylor, a Consultant Physician in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, has lobbied for the funding.

"It's an absolute game changer," he said.

"In Birmingham in the last year, we have seen over 100 newly diagnosed people living with HIV, mostly diagnosed through sexual health services or very late when they are already very sick in hospital.

"By routinely testing everybody who is already having a blood test in A&E departments, we can also begin to remove the stigma around testing for HIV."

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins says HIV treatment now allows people to live long and healthy lives, if the virus is found early

Marcella Hart from Birmingham was diagnosed with HIV in 1997, but had been unknowingly living with it for a decade.

Her late diagnosis caused a series of health problems, including kidney failure that required dialysis and a transplant. At one point she was given just weeks to live.

"I didn't think women, or heterosexual people, would catch it so easily," she said.

After nine different drug treatments over 25 years, Ms Hart's life expectancy is now normal, and the virus is undetectable, meaning she cannot pass it on.

"If I'd had the drugs sooner, I wouldn't have needed a kidney transplant. I wish people would just go and get a test.

"If you're having sex with somebody without protection, you're at risk."

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the more people that we can diagnose, the greater the "chance we have of ending new transmissions of the virus and the stigma wrongly attached to it".

"This programme, which improves people's health and well-being, saves lives and money," she said.

Under the trial, anyone being treated in A&E that requires a blood test will automatically be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, unless they explicitly opt out.

Sir Elton John addressed MPs in Parliament on Wednesday, calling for more to be done to meet a government target of eliminating new HIV infections in England by 2030.

An estimated 4,500 people in England are living with undiagnosed HIV.

The trial is being funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The 11 Midlands hospitals taking part in the scheme are:

• University Hospital Coventry

• New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton

• City Hospital in Birmingham

• Sandwell General Hospital

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham

• Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield

• Heartland Hospital in Birmingham

• Burton Hospital

• Walsall Manor Hospital

• Royal Stoke University Hospital

• County Hospital in Stafford