NHS Highland is about to start a pilot project of opt-out blood borne virus testing in the Emergency Department in Raigmore Hospital.
The Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) that we will test for are hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV. This project has been enabled through additional funding received from Scottish Government.
The aim of the project is to increase our case-finding activity for all three BBVs through an increase in testing. If we can identify cases of undiagnosed infection through this increased testing, this can lead to earlier assessment and treatment for patients which leads to better health outcomes.
An increase in HCV case-finding activity will also support our HCV treatment targets and ultimately support our goal of HCV elimination. A further benefit is that testing on an opt-out basis in an Emergency Department setting will also provide more information in relation to how prevalent these infections are.
Effective treatment for each of the BBVs also has wider public health benefits due to the reduction in onward transmission of hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV.
As part of this project, everyone aged 16 and older who has a blood test performed as part of their assessment in the Raigmore Emergency Department will now have a test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV unless they opt out.
Dr Mike Rennie, Emergency Department Clinical Lead at Raigmore Hospital, said: "BBV opt-out testing provides an opportunity for the emergency department to help the wider health of our population.
“The prospect of being able to identify infection in patients, who would otherwise not know, and be able to offer effective treatment to those patients while also reducing the risk of onward infection is an exciting opportunity beyond the normal role of the emergency department.
“However, this will not impact upon our core function as an emergency department, as this is just a simple extra blood test for adult patients who are already having blood tests taken."
Dr Jenny Wares, NHS Highland’s Consultant in Public Health Medicine said: "This is a really exciting opportunity to work with our Emergency Department colleagues to try to identify cases of undiagnosed infection. We hope that by carrying out this project we will identify patients who could be offered treatment which will ultimately lead to health benefits for those affected."