Patients contacted over HIV health worker

1:07pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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More than 300 former patients in south east London are being contacted after a health care worker was found to be HIV positive.

A review of patients' notes going back over 10 years has been carried out and has led to patients being notified, the majority of which live in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust, which is carrying out the notification on behalf of local health organisations, is refusing to name the worker but says the person is not working and is receiving medical treatment.

A spokesman said the trust, which sent out the letters yesterday, was trying to protect both patients and the worker by not releasing the name.

An information line set up by the trust has received 50 calls already.

The notification is being carried out in accordance with advice from the UK Advisory Panel for Health Care Workers Infected with Blood-borne Viruses and the Health Protection Agency.

It is being stressed that the risk of infection is very small and no one in the UK has ever caught HIV from a health care worker.

The trust's medical director Dr David Sulch said: "We have carefully studied all notes to identify any patient who might have been at risk of contracting the virus from this health care worker.

"The patients concerned are being contacted and offered confidential counselling and a saliva test.

"I should emphasise that this is a precautionary measure and that the risk of infection is minimal."

Anybody wishing to know more about the risks can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647.