At a World Aids Day reception at Downing Street, Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer pledged further support to help end all new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030, specifically £27 million dedicated to the successful NHS emergency department opt-out testing scheme.

What is the opt-out testing scheme?

All blood tests in emergency departments are automatically tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C unless a patient ‘opts-out’. During the first 24 months of the blood borne viruses (BBVs) opt-out testing programme, 34 emergency departments conducted over 2 million HIV tests, over 1.5 million Hepatitis C virus tests and over 1.2 million Hepatitis B virus tests, significantly increasing the number of BBV tests conducted in England each year.

From 21 of the 34 emergency departments participating in the programme identified:

• 1,957 people were newly diagnosed with Hepatitis B
• 762 people were newly diagnosed with Hepatitis C
• 391 people with HIV (new HIV diagnoses data is only available to December 2023)

This testing addresses health inequalities by reaching groups, such as women and those from the BAME communities, who are less likely to attend sexual health services and may be disproportionately affected both by higher rates of some BBVs and stigma associated with BBV testing or diagnosis.

What does this new funding mean for Liverpool?

Liverpool was announced to become part of the opt-out testing scheme in 2023 due to the high prevalence of HIV (2-5 cases in 1000 population). This continued funding announcement will allow Liverpool hospitals to continue this practice in emergency departments across the region.

For more information about getting tested for HIV, check out our online hub here.