Free Hepatitis C Home Test
As part of NHS England's commitment to eliminating hepatitis C, the NHS is offering everyone in the UK a free, easy, home finger-prick test for hepatitis C.
What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver and can lead to serious liver disease and cancer if untreated. Fortunately, it can be cured with a short course of tablets, which cures 19 out of 20 people, usually with no side effects.
Why get tested?
We want to help everyone who might have hepatitis C get this life-saving treatment; therefore, we are contacting and offering tests to as many people as possible. Some people are more likely to have hepatitis C because they have certain "risk factors."
These are people who:
- were born or raised in a country where hepatitis C is common (like South Asia, Egypt, Portugal, Poland, Russia, and some other countries)
- had an organ transplant before 1992
- had a blood transfusion before 1996
- had any type of blood product in England before 1986
- had a piercing, tattoo, electrolysis, semi-permanent make-up, or acupuncture in a place or country where equipment may not have been sterilised
- had a “needle-stick injury” (i.e., accidentally pricked yourself with a needle used for injections)
- had female genital mutilation (FGM)
- have abnormal liver blood tests, especially a raised alanine transaminase (ALT), an enzyme found mostly in the liver
We have no record that you have been tested for hepatitis C already. However, you might have had a test in the past that does not show up in our records, so we want to make sure that you have been offered a test.
How to get tested
The test is a simple finger-prick blood test called a PCR test.
You can order a free at-home testing kit through our online testing portal.
The kit will be delivered discreetly to your door. Just follow the instructions, return the sample with free postage, and get your results within two weeks. If it is positive, we will contact you to offer you an assessment to see if you need treatment in the NHS.
Order your free test kit
To get tested you can access the following support:
NHS England Free At-Home Testing - Online Testing Portal
Visit the website by using the link below to order a free at-home testing kit that will be delivered discreetly to your front door. The test consists of a simple finger-prick test for a blood sample that you will return to the labs for testing via pre-paid postage. Results will be given to you within two weeks of return.
Support
If you are worried that you may have hepatitis c or have questions and would like to speak to someone, please contact the Hep C Trust. The Hep C Trust helpline is staffed by people with personal experience of hepatitis c and is open Monday to Friday, 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
Helpline telephone number: 020 7089 6221
Helpline email address: helpline@hepctrust.org.uk
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