Here’s a fantastic news story from the BBC: Chelsea and Westminster and St Mary’s Hospitals have begun to offer HIV tests to patients in their accident and emergency departments. This is precisely the sort of normalisation of HIV testing that Saving Lives campaigns for. Dr Ann Sullivan, Consultant Physician at Chelsea and Westminster, is quoted in the BBC story as saying: “Our pilot study demonstrated that routine HIV tests in A&E not only detect undiagnosed cases but also are seen as acceptable by the vast majority of patients.” We always knew the former would be true – but the latter is a crucial finding which should help us continue to make the case for a rolling-out of this sort of scheme across the country.
The ongoing trial now in place at the two London hospitals proceeds from the discovery that the public will accept routine HIV tests, and that such screening will help diagnose the undiagnosed: when will the rest of the UK catch up? We’ll be here to try and make the case…
