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New evaluation of NHS England’s emergency department opt-out testing has identified thousands of people living unknowingly with bloodborne viruses.

Source: UK Health Security Agency published on this website Wednesday 29 October 2025 by Jill Powell

The UK Health Security Agency has today published its evaluation report of the groundbreaking NHS emergency department (ED) opt-out testing programme – an integrated bloodborne virus (BBV) testing programme for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. 

The evaluation findings show the programme has identified thousands of people living unknowingly with bloodborne viruses, with many now being offered life-saving treatment for the first time.

As part of blood tests taken during emergency care in 34 EDs in areas with the highest HIV prevalence, people are automatically tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C unless they opt out. Those who receive a diagnosis are then offered treatment and support. 

The results demonstrate the programme’s significant impact. Over 33 months, it conducted over 7 million BBV tests, representing around 50% of all BBV testing done in these areas during this period. It achieved a high test uptake rate of around 70% among eligible people, demonstrating the effectiveness of the opt-out approach. 

A large number of new diagnoses were identified:  

3,667 new hepatitis B (HBV) diagnoses 
831 new hepatitis C (HCV) diagnoses 
719 new HIV diagnoses

One in 240 people tested was found to have hepatitis B, highlighting the large number of people who are living with undiagnosed hepatitis B and the benefit of combined opt-out testing for BBVs in EDs. Similarly, one in 1,276 people tested was found to have with HCV and one in 1916 for HIV. Further benefits included care re-engagement including 291 people previously diagnosed with HIV who were subsequently re-linked to HIV care during the programme.

The report, commissioned by NHS England, evaluates the first 33 months of the programme from April 2022 to 1 January 2025. 

 Dr Sema Mandal, Consultant Epidemiologist and Deputy Director of the Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STI and HIV Division at UKHSA, said: 

“The pioneering NHS opt-out testing programme in emergency departments is helping us reach thousands of people who did not know they were living with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.  Many of these individuals might never have been tested otherwise – missing the chance to access life-saving treatment. 

“What we’re seeing is a clear and urgent need to do more to tackle these serious infections. The high number of new diagnoses across all three conditions – particularly the consistently high hepatitis B numbers – shows just how many people are living with undiagnosed bloodborne viruses. We must improve awareness, expand testing and diagnosis and ensure people are supported into care and treatment. Early diagnosis can help prevent years of ill health and save thousands of lives.”

Over 60% of people tested had no record of previous BBV testing, indicating the programme successfully reached populations who may not have been diagnosed in other healthcare settings.  

Undercover officers have visited hotel staff across Canterbury in order to test their ability to spot vulnerable children.

Source: Kent Police published on this website Tuesday 28 October 2025 by Jill Powell

The specialised operation has been carried out in Canterbury on Friday 17 October 2025 to assess how well the city’s hospitality sector is applying child protection training.

The exercise involved officers from Kent Police, supported by Kent Police Cadet volunteers, who visited six hotels across the city. Officers posed as guests attempting to book Child protection training put to the test in Canterbury hotels

accommodation under circumstances that could raise safeguarding concerns.

Officers were looking for evidence that staff were taking proportionate measures to identify potential child exploitation. At the end of the visits, a review was completed to score the effectiveness of staff in identifying children at risk of abuse or trafficking.

All six businesses that were visited received positive assessments, with staff showing good knowledge of child protection training. Following the exercise, officers returned to each hotel and identified themselves as police. They provided feedback on staff performance and offered training to further enhance their safeguarding plans, which all venues accepted.

Operation Makesafe is a nationwide initiative designed to assist the hotel sector in identifying potential victims of child exploitation. Throughout 2025, the exercise has been conducted in all 12 districts across Kent.

Superintendent Peter Steenhuis said:

“This operation was undertaken by Kent Police’s Child Centred Policing Team as part of our drive to prevent children from harm through positive engagement and education.

“Every member of staff our officers engaged with showed signs of concern and vigilance. Based on our review, we are confident that in each location, action would have been taken to intervene, or report concerns to police in a real-life scenario.”

Warning of new variant of dangerous baby self-feeding products

Source: Office for Product Safety and Standards published on this website Thursday 23 October 2025 by Jill Powell

A new variant of dangerous baby self-feeding products has appeared where the pillow part takes the form of an animal head shape.

Baby self-feeding products are designed to enable babies to bottle feed with little or no assistance from a caregiver. This creates a risk of serious harm or death from choking on the feed or aspiration pneumonia.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has identified that all baby self-feeding products are dangerous due to their design and intended use and can never be made safe, regardless of any changes to their appearance. It issued a Product Safety Alert concerning them in December 2022. The public was urged to stop using them immediately and dispose of them safely. Businesses and local authority trading standards services were also asked to take specific actions to remove them from the market.

DBS launches national campaign to raise awareness of legal duty to refer

Source: Disclosure and Barring Service published on this website Monday 27 October 2025 by Jill Powell

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has launched a new national campaign to raise awareness of the legal duty to refer - the process organisations must follow by law when there are safeguarding concerns about individuals in regulated activity. 

The first phase of the campaign is being rolled out across the South East of England, with a particular focus on engaging faith-based organisations. In the past seven years, referrals from the faith sector have accounted for just 0.51% of all submissions, highlighting significant gaps in safeguarding reporting. 

This campaign aims to close that gap by increasing understanding of when referrals must be made, how the process works, and why it matters. 

Events, resources, and outreach

The campaign will run over 12 weeks, and includes a series of free, virtual workshops delivered by DBS’ South East Regional Outreach Adviser. These sessions will explain the barring process and the legal responsibilities of organisations and employers to refer. 

There are two types of workshops:

Meet your Regional Outreach Adviser drop-in session

20th November, 1pm: register here: //events.teams.microsoft.com/event/97d9b3f4-b824-4c59-90d7-fcd2a9bf6642@f24d93ec-b291-4192-a08a-f182245945c2"> Meet your Regional Outreach Adviser, Teams
19th December 2025, 10am: register here: //events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cda0aa43-9286-42bb-bd81-d44ef5e29ee2@f24d93ec-b291-4192-a08a-f182245945c2"> Meet your Regional Outreach Adviser, Teams

Legal duty to refer bitesize workshop

19th November, 10am: register here: DBS Legal Duty to Refer Bitesize, Eventbrite

Pop-up clinics

In addition to the workshops, DBS will also be hosting pop-up clinics across the South East, offering free, in-person advice and practical guidance. These sessions will include:

myth-busting around the referral process
real-world referral threshold scenarios
peer-led discussions
live walk-throughs of how to make a referral
opportunities to ask DBS staff questions directly

Where and when?

Reading, Thursday 6 November, 09:30-12:00pm and 13:00-15:30pm.
Tonbridge (Kent), Tuesday 18 November, 09:30-12:00pm and 13:00-15:30pm.
Brighton, Wednesday 3 December, 09:30-12:00pm and 13:00-15:30pm.
Southampton, Wednesday 17 December, 09:30-12:00pm and 13:00-15:30pm.

These are in-person events, with morning and afternoon slots available. To register, visit DBS’ Eventbrite page to secure your place.

Explainer videos

A 60-second explainer series will also be launched on DBS social media channels, covering key topics, including:

what is the legal duty to refer?
what is regulated activity?
when must a referral be made?
what happens after a referral is submitted?
what are the consequences of not referring?

Keep an eye out on the //www.youtube.com/@DisclosureandBarringService">DBS YouTube Channel, as these explainer videos will be launching soon.

Learn more

To support organisations, DBS has published a range of materials on GOV.UK, including:

Guidance on the legal duty to refer to DBS
Leaflets such as Barring Referrals - How and when to make one
A step-by-step flowchart explaining the referral process

How to get involved

You can take part in the campaign in several ways:

attend a virtual workshop
visit a pop-up clinic
watch our 60-second explainer videos hosted on our YouTube channel, and social media platforms

Thousands of children protected from abuse under victim reforms

Source: Ministry of Justice published on this website Wednesday 22 October 2025 by Jill Powell

Thousands more children will be protected from vile sex offenders under amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill tabled in Parliament on Monday 20 October.

The new measures will see parental responsibility automatically restricted in cases of children born of rape, and when a parent is convicted of serious sex offences against any child. This means a parent can no longer take active steps in their child’s life, including making decisions over their schooling, medical care or trips abroad.

The move delivers on the long-term campaign of Natalie Fleet MP, Baroness Harman and Jess Asato MP and will provide greater protection for vulnerable children.

Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, said:

“These reforms mark a crucial step forward in restoring faith in our justice system. Automatically restricting parental responsibility in cases of rape where it has led to the birth of a child and serious child sexual offences sends a clear message: the rights and safety of children come first. This Government is committed to standing up for victims and ensuring that those who commit the most vile crimes against children are never in a position to cause further harm.”

Natalie Fleet MP said:

“This amendment will finally offer protection for not only children born of rape, but also the mothers, who have until now always lived in fear of their rapists interfering in the lives of their children through their parental responsibility rights. This change will end that fear.

“It puts the rights of survivors above the rights of rapists and signals a landmark shift in how this country’s legal system values safety, dignity, and truth. It will deliver powerful, lasting change for thousands of women and children and I am delighted that this Government has listened to our concerns and acted so swiftly.”

To ensure swift protection for families, restriction will happen immediately following sentencing, removing the necessity to apply through the family court.

Restricting parental responsibility for children born of rape protects two victims – the mother and the child – from the influence of abusive and undeserving fathers, whereas removing the right for those convicted of serious sex offences against any child builds on the existing measure to restrict responsibility for those who have abused their own child.

This move follows the expansion of the government’s innovative Pathfinder pilot, which aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings - including those who have experience of domestic abuse.