A look-back patient notification exercise involving 96 former hospital patients of Northwick Park and St Mark’s Hospital was announced yesterday.

The precautionary exercise is being carried out in accordance with advice from the UK Advisory Panel for Health Care Workers infected with blood borne viruses.  This follows notification that a health care worker who worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the hospital between December 2003 and August 2004 has been diagnosed as suffering from hepatitis C infection.

Like most people who are infected with hepatitis C, the Health Care Worker had no symptoms and was unaware of their infection. As soon as the infection was diagnosed, the Health Care Worker ceased working immediately and no longer carries out exposure prone procedures.

One patient has been found to have a hepatitis infection which matches the Health Care Worker. This patient has been treated at the hospital and is making good progress.

A review of patients’ case notes was carried out by the hospital which led to today’s look-back. Twenty-six other hospitals, where the Health Care Worker previously worked, are also involved in the exercise and contacting patients today.

Dr John Riordan, the Medical Director of The North West London Hospitals  NHS Trust, said: “We have carefully worked to identify any patient who might have been at risk of contracting a hepatitis C infection from this Health Care Worker and have contacted them to offer confidential counselling and a blood test for hepatitis C.  I should emphasise that the risk of infection is very small and that we are offering them screening purely as a precaution.”

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A helpline has been set up for people with concerns. This is 0845 8502878.

Notes:

1. Hepatitis C virus is a virus which can lead to inflammation of the liver. In most cases, the virus is asymptomatic, that is, most infected people do not realise they have the infection and suffer no noticeable symptoms. However, in other people, symptoms can include feeling sick and suffering abdominal pain and jaundice. The infection can cause chronic liver disease, and, very rarely, cancer of the liver.

2. Some of those patients infected can become carriers of hepatitis C virus, which can lead to an increased lifetime risk of liver disease. That is why it is important for doctors to test the blood of patients who may be at risk of having become infected.

3.   Hepatitis C virus is mainly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, and more rarely through sexual intercourse. The virus cannot be transmitted through social contact, kissing or sharing food and drink.

4. In recent years increasingly effective treatments for hepatitis C have become available. In January 2004 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended a combination of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin for the treatment of patients with severe hepatitis C. Overall this treatment is successful in clearing the infection in up to 55% of patients. In patients with genotypes 2 and 3 evidence is accumulating that combination therapy can lead to upwards of 80% of people clearing the virus.

5.      Patients who may have been at risk have been contacted by letter today and given a confidential helpline number to call.

Concerned members of the public in England should contact NHS Direct on 0845 850 2878.

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