Family doctor practices to identify not diagnosed infected blood scandal patients

NHS England has asked the GP practices to identify non -diagnosed patients who are affected by the contaminated blood scandal.

From the next month, the GP practices will ask new patients who register with them if they had a blood transfusion before 1996. Those who were then offered a test for hepatitis C were granted.

The commissioner has published new guidelines for the introduction of the new questions for the introduction of the new questions, the recording of the respondents and the support of patients who identify the risk of infection.

The questions are added to online GP registration services, and only patients who were born on or before December 31, 1995 are asked.

The paper registration form (PRF1) is also updated for those who cannot register online or not.

The guidelines say: “If patients state that they had a blood transfusion before 1996 and have not been tested on hepatitis C before, GPS and members of the health professions should track this.

“Added to the online GP registration service by the additional hepatitis -c test question, the practices may have to discuss with patients during a consultation (or check the patient file beforehand) to determine whether they were previously tested on hepatitis C.”

Patients endangered with risks can order self-test kits for completion at home, or can access tests for GP operations, sexual health clinics and other services.

The drive to identify non -diagnosed patients follows a recommendation in the blood test report infected last year.

The infected Blood Inquiry report, which was led by the former judge of the High Court, Sir Brian Langstaff, recommended that GP practices should ask new patients “as routine” for previous transfusions.

The report added: “The patient does not have to give an alarm: Rather, the offer should convey the trust that his security is protected by the doctor, and a considerable majority of the patients previously tested can expect to calm a negative test.

“However, if the test is positive (as it will probably be in some cases), treatment with direct antiviral antivirus can follow.”

According to the report, around 26,800 people with hepatitis C were infected after a blood transfusion and around 1,250 people with HIV were infected after being treated for bleeding disorders.

Sir Stephen Powis Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS England National Medical Director, said: “The failures of the contaminated blood scandal have had terrible effects on patients and their families for decades, and I would like to repeat our deepest excuses for the role of the health service for so many.

'The NHS is devoted to the implementation of the recommendations of the examination, and this simple change in the GP registration process for patients is an important step forward to ensure that nobody who is affected by contaminated blood is not diagnosed and not supported.

“By routinely checking his risk, if someone registers a new GP and, if necessary, offers fast HEP -C tests, we ensure that non -diagnosed cases can be found and treated as quickly as possible, while thousands of further confirmation of a negative test.”

At the beginning of the investigation in 2019, NHS England wrote to CCGs to remind the doctors to look at the tests for hepatitis C in patients with unexplained symptoms.

In 2018, Pulse reported on a campaign launch that would give GPS a key role in identifying people with the infection who had not been diagnosed.