§ Baroness Massey of Darwenasked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the outcome of the policy review on patient notification exercises relating to HIV infected healthcare workers. [HLI697]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathWe have recently accepted advice from the Expert Advisory Group on Aids (EAGA) and the United Kingdom Advisory Panel for Health Care Workers infected with Blood-borne Viruses (UKAP). They advise that it is no longer necessary to notify every single patient who has undergone an exposure prone procedure1 by an HIV infected healthcare worker because of the low risk of transmission and the anxiety caused to large numbers of patients.
In future, the need for and extent of a patient notification exercise will depend on the level of risk of exposure. This may mean that in some instances there is no patient notification exercise or it is limited in its scope. Until now, all patients who have undergone exposure prone procedures have been notified regardless of their level of risk. EAGA and UKAP are in the process of developing these critiera and we will be issuing operational guidance to the National Health Service in the new year.
1Exposure prone procedures are those where there is a risk that injury to the healthcare worker could result in their blood contaminating a patients' open tissues. Exposure prone procedures in general terms include most surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, dentistry and some aspects of midwifery and specialist nursing.