Registering with a GP cum HIV testing to become routine part on HWN HIGHLIGHT

HIV testing in Coventry (UK) is to become a routine part of registering with a General Practitioner (GP) at ten surgeries across the city, which has the highest prevalence of the condition in the West Midlands.

All patients registering with the pilot surgeries will be offered a simple finger prick blood test, with results available in less than a minute.

The initiative, aimed at improving the early detection of the condition, is being led by a partnership involving Birmingham City University, the Integrated Sexual Health Service (Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust), Travel Klinix and Coventry City Council's Public Health Team.

More than three in every 1,000 people aged 15-59 years old in Coventry are diagnosed with HIV, while estimates for the UK suggest that over a quarter of people with the condition remain undiagnosed.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that all areas with an HIV prevalence of over two per 1,000 population should increase access to HIV testing.  One of those recommendations relates to increasing the number of HIV tests undertaken in primary care, as primary care professionals are in an ideal position to support the drive for early diagnosis of HIV.

The effectiveness of the pilot will be evaluated by researchers at Birmingham City University, who will explore the potential to expand the model more widely.

Source: Birmingham City University, HWN.