§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if the NHS employs nurses who are HIV positive; [146842]
(2) what health checks are carried out on prospective recruits into the NHS before they are employed as nurses. [146843]
§ Mr. DenhamHIV infection alone is not considered a bar to employment in the National Health Service as procedures in nurse training and general nursing do not pose a risk of infection to patients, provided routine infection control precautions are followed.
All students on pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes are required to have undergone occupational health screening as outlined in standards set by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.
Guidance on pre-employment health checks for National Health Service staff was sent to all NHS trusts and health authorities in 1998 (Health Service Circular 1998/064—"Management of Health, Safety and Welfare Issues for NHS Staff'), copies of which are available in the Library. The guidance makes clear that all NHS staff should have a pre-employment health assessment on taking up their first post in the NHS, on subsequent appointment with new NHS employers and on job change, 692W where this involves a significant change of duties. The purpose of the pre-employment health assessment is to ensure that:
- prospective staff are physically and psychologically capable of carrying out the proposed work, taking into account any current or previous illnesses; and
- any work related diseases from "hazardous agents" likely to develop can be identified.