HIV Opt-Out Testing in the Emergency Department

People aged 16 and over who have a blood test in the Emergency Department at Watford General Hospital or the Lister Hospital will also have that sample tested for HIV, unless they choose not to. This is part of a national NHS programme designed to diagnose people who may not know they have HIV. Early diagnosis is important, as treatment is life‑saving and free from the NHS.

Who will contact you about your result?

The Hertfordshire Sexual Health Service (Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust) manages all HIV results from this programme.

If your result needs to be discussed with you, we will contact you directly by phone or text. If we can’t get through to you this way, we will also post a letter.

Please do not contact the Emergency Department for your results. You will only be contacted if your test needs follow‑up.

Informing your GP

It is considered best clinical practice for your GP to know about your HIV status so they can support your ongoing care.Our clinic policy is to inform your GP of a positive HIV result, unless you tell us you do not want this.

If you choose not to have your result shared with your GP, it is important to know that:

• Your GP may still be able to see your result through the NHS Spine or the Local Care Record (LCR).
• If you do not want your HIV result visible through these systems, you can opt out of them.

Opting out of the Local Care Record (LCR) or NHS Spine

If you do not want your HIV result to be visible to your GP through the NHS Spine or LCR, you will need to request this yourself.

To do this, you must contact the acute trust where your test was carried out and ask for your information to be restricted.

How to request this

You will need to send a written request to the Information Governance Team at:

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT) on Westherts.corporate.governance@nhs.net or East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (ENHT) on dataprotection.enh-tr@nhs.net.

Your request must include:

• Your NHS number
• Your full name
• Your address
• Your date of birth

If we cannot reach you to share you results 

If we have been unable to contact you and you are unhappy that your result has been shared with your GP, you can speak to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at the acute hospital for support.