On 20 May, the Inquiry report was published into the infected blood scandal. You can find more here: NHS England » Publication of the infected blood inquiry final report
Information about Support for people who may have been affected by infected blood is available here: Support for people who may have been affected by infected blood – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Here is a brief summary of the important information:
- If you had a blood transfusion or blood products before 1996, there’s a chance you may have been given infected blood. This could mean you were infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.
- Today, all blood donated in the UK is screened using very rigorous safety standards and testing to protect both donors and patients.
- Since screening was introduced, the risk of getting an infection from a blood transfusion or blood products is very low.
- NHS Blood and Transplant have more information about the infected blood inquiry
- If you had a blood transfusion or blood products before 1996 and you’ve not been tested for infection, contact your GP surgery or sexual health clinic to discuss any tests you may need.
- You can also get a free home test for hepatitis C.
If you think you may be at an increased risk of Hepatitis C or HIV, you can go to any sexual health clinic (an appointment is usually needed) to discuss this further and receive any tests needed.
You can also arrange for a free home testing kit for Hepatitis C here: https://hepctest.nhs.uk/
If eligible, you can also arrange for a free home testing kit for HIV here: https://freetesting.hiv/
