Recommendation IBI-8b: New Patient Registration Screening

In Northern Ireland, the Chief Medical Officer issued a Circular on Hepatitis C Testing Guidance (HSS(MD)16/2024) to advise that Hepatitis C testing was currently carried out via routine clinical care for people who think they might have been infected through a blood transfusion or in another way.

Further engagement is currently ongoing with the Department’s Strategic Planning and Performance Group and primary care policy leads to ascertain the best approach to adopt in relation to General Practice registration.

In Wales, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer along with the Senior Medical Officer for Primary Care, have issued a Welsh Health Circular (WHC (2024)50) to all Health Boards asking them to advise those in Primary Care to test patients when the circumstances meet the criteria and for them to update their new patient screening to include a question on previous blood transfusions. These recommendations have been implemented.

In Scotland, there has already been awareness raising in this area in 2015 and 2016 following the Penrose Inquiry’s recommendation, therefore many transfusion patients were tested for Hepatitis C at that time. An updated Chief Medical Officer (CMO) letter was issued in June 2024 to ask all GP practices and staff in secondary care in Scotland to offer Hepatitis C testing to anyone transfused prior to 1996 who has not already been tested. The letter also asks GP practices to ensure they ask new patients about any previous blood transfusions when they have their initial appointment with a new GP practice. Information for patients on the NHS Inform website has been updated to align with the CMO letter. These recommendations have therefore now been implemented.

NHS England is committed to identifying all those infected with a bloodborne disease, however it is transmitted.

We would like to reassure the public that evidence shows the likelihood of contracting Hepatitis C via a blood transfusion after 1992 is extremely low following the introduction of universal blood screening to detect Hep C infection in September 1991. However, to address the Inquiry’s conclusion that it is ‘reasonably possible’ that some infections may have occurred from blood transfusions after universal screening was introduced, the UK Government accepts this recommendation.

Delivery is progressing and the recommendation is ready to be implemented. Changes to the GP Online Registration service, which will help deliver this recommendation, have been agreed and the national “go-live” date is the end of May. NHS England is publishing supporting implementation guidance for GP practices in advance of this go live.