Compulsory HIV tests for healthcare staff

New
doctors and nurses in the UK will have to take compulsory HIV checks, the
Government has confirmed.

The
move was prompted by fears that hundreds of new health staff recruited from
overseas may be carrying HIV.

A
consultation paper giving details of the proposed move has now been published.

Deputy
chief medical officer Dr Pat Troop said: "These new measures, based on
expert advice, are designed to improve protection for patients still further by
extending existing health checks.

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"The
new checks will also help those planning a career in the health service to make
informed career choices early on."

By Quentin Reade