Routine HIV Testing to Start at Royal London Hospital's A&E

Beginning March 25, England's Royal London Hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department will pilot a month-long trial offering HIV testing to emergency patients needing other blood testing. According to HIV consultant Dr. Chloe Orkin, “The most important factor is to make an early diagnosis.”

The hospital’s emergency department, located in Whitechapel, sees approximately 3,000 individuals each week, with 720 of these patients needing blood tests as part of their diagnosis and treatment. The goal of the hospital’s pilot program is to screen 2,000 individuals throughout a 4-week time period.

The program has already been underway in other areas of the hospital such as Medical Admissions and the High Dependency and Intensive Treatment units, where patients must choose not to be tested for HIV rather than asking to be tested.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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