15.08.13
DH updates ‘limiting’ rules for staff with HIV
NHS staff with HIV will be allowed to perform all medical procedures, as the Government updates regulations on the infection.
Current guidelines prevent procedures where worker’s blood could contaminate the patient’s open tissues, including contact with sharp instruments and needle tips. The changes will mean staff with HIV can perform surgery and dentistry for the first time if they are on effective combination anti-retroviral drug therapy.
No-one has ever been infected with HIV in the UK following treatment by an infected medical professional.
Public Health England will set up a confidential register of data on infected workers, which is currently around 110 staff. Self-testing kits for HIV will also be legalised from April 2014 to increase diagnosis of the disease.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Dame Sally Davies told the BBC: “It is time we changed these outdated rules which are sometimes counter-productive and limit people's choices on how to get tested or treated early for HIV.
“What we need is a simpler system that continues to protect the public through encouraging people to get tested for HIV as early as possible and that does not hold back some of our best healthcare workers because of a risk that is more remote than being struck by lightning.”
Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Advances in medication have transformed what it means to live with HIV, and it's great to see regulations starting to catch up.”
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “We are pleased to see these changes, which will bring the UK’s HIV policy guidance more up to date, help improve public health and further reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.
“It’s a welcome step that nursing staff will no longer be banned from carrying out certain medical procedures, bringing UK policy in line with a strong evidence base demonstrating this will not compromise patient safety.
“No one in this day and age should feel stigmatised to be living with HIV, as a long-term, manageable condition and we hope these changes will reduce outdated information about HIV risk, reduce stigma and improve HIV awareness among staff and patients.”
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