Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - October 28, 2009
Forty-six patients treated by the worker at Pontefract General Infirmary in West Yorkshire between 1999 and 2001 will be offered blood tests.
Tests will also be offered to 43 people seen at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire between 1997 and 1999.
Health bosses said the tests were a precautionary measure.
Letters will be sent to patients on Monday.
Dr Rob Lane, associate director at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was unclear if the medical professional was HIV positive at the time the patients were treated.
He said: "We recognise that patients may be anxious about this news but they can be reassured that the risk of infection is extremely low. They are being offered a blood test as a precaution and to provide reassurance."
Similar exercises
Kettering General Hospital's medical director, Dr Brendan O' Malley, said the offer of an HIV test was to provide peace of mind to patients.
He added: "The Department of Health has stated that between 1988 and 2003 in the UK there were 28 patient notification exercises similar to the one about to be carried out.
"This resulted in 7,000 patients being tested for HIV. No patient tested positive."
The trusts said once the healthcare worker was found to have the virus it was reported to and subsequently investigated by the UK Advisory Panel for Healthcare Workers Infected with Blood Borne Viruses.
Patients treated at Pontefract General Infirmary can contact The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust on 01924 213 684. Kettering patients are can call 0345 603 0897 for advice.
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