Hepatitis: Diagnosis

(asked on 31st October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve the detection of hepatitis B and C.


Answered by
Steve Brine Portrait
Steve Brine
This question was answered on 7th November 2017

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are available to help raise awareness of, and testing for, hepatitis B and C infection in people at increased risk of infection. Screening for hepatitis B and C is recommended in groups who are at increased risk of infection so that diagnosed individuals can be referred for specialist care and management. NICE has also produced best practice guidance on hepatitis B antenatal screening and the new-born immunisation programme. The guidelines can be viewed here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph43

NHS England commissions the infectious diseases in pregnancy screening programme including the screening for hepatitis B, as of part of the maternity pathway. In addition, and as part of health services commissioned for those in the detained settings, NHS England is rolling out an ambitious Opt-Out Blood Borne Viruses (BBV) testing programme; the key aim is to improve uptake rates for hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing by the introduction of good practice for ‘meaningful offer’ of BBV testing across the adult prison estate by end of 2017-18.

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