{"id":2717,"date":"2016-10-12T13:03:42","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T13:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.savinglivesuk.com\/?p=2717"},"modified":"2016-10-12T13:03:42","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T13:03:42","slug":"bbc-hospitals-and-gp-practices-fail-to-check-for-hiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beyondpositive.org\/sluktest\/bbc-hospitals-and-gp-practices-fail-to-check-for-hiv\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC: “Hospitals and GP practices fail to check for HIV”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"testingbutton\"Saving Lives began its life as an awareness campaign within a single hospital. We aimed to encourage non-specialist doctors to test for HIV when indicator symptoms presented themselves – and our campaign worked. Of course,\u00a0any awareness-raising is an ongoing mission – many campaigns make change, not one.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the details in this story from the BBC is disappointing:<\/p>\n

\n

Some hospitals and GP practices in England and Scotland are failing to carry out recommended HIV checks, a BBC investigation has found.<\/p>\n

Experts suggest patients in areas with high rates of HIV ought to be offered a test when they register with a GP or are admitted to hospital.<\/p>\n

But research carried out for BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme suggests many NHS providers are not doing this.<\/p>\n

Health officials said the prevention of HIV infection remained a priority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are many challenges to offering testing as a routine service to new admissions. These include education, awareness and stigma –\u00a0and campaigns like those Saving Lives and many other groups and doctors conduct can really help.<\/p>\n

Offering tests as a matter of course will reduce the rate of late diagnosis and of non-diagnosed HIV – and this will save lives. Investment is important, as Councillor Izzi Seccombe points out in the story, as are the\u00a0excellent\u00a0clinical guidelines produced by the British HIV Association (BHIVA); but so, too, are raising\u00a0awareness and combating stigma – which we continue to campaign to achieve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saving Lives began its life as an awareness campaign within a single hospital. We aimed to encourage non-specialist doctors to test for HIV when indicator symptoms presented themselves – and our campaign worked. Of course,\u00a0any awareness-raising is an ongoing mission – many campaigns make change, not one. Nevertheless, the details in this story from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[226,141],"class_list":["post-2717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhs","tag-bhiva","tag-testing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t