HIV scare after doctor carried out intimate exam on a woman with a swab that had been used on another patient's genitals, complaint reveals READ MORE: Hollyoaks star aged 6, left paralysed by stroke after chickenpox By Rebecca Whittaker For Mailonline Published: 12:04, 24 July 2024 | Updated: 12:15, 24 July 2024 e-mail View comments A woman was told she may have HIV after a doctor accidently gave her an intimate exam with a swab which had already been used on another person's genitals. The unnamed 40-year-old, visited her GP in Batley, West Yorkshire, in December 2022 for a vaginal examination for an existing health condition. But after the examination was carried out, she was given the terrifying news that the swab had previously been used on another person.
The mother-of-one was 'extremely upset and scared' when she was informed that, as a result of the 'grave error' she could have been infected with blood-borne diseases including HIV and hepatitis. She complained about the experience to the doctor's surgery, but after being dissatisfied with their response brought the case to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — an independent body which investigates complaints about government departments and the NHS . The 40-year-old, who remains unnamed, visited her GP in Batley, West Yorkshire, in December 2022 for a vaginal examination for an existing health condition.
After the examination was carried out, she was told that the swab had previously been used on another person The woman was forced to wait three months, before she could be tested for HIV. That's because it can take up to three months after a HIV infection for the antibodies to appear in the blood, meaning a test before this could be inaccurate. 'When I found out the swab had already been used and I would need to have tests for HIV and hepatitis, I was extremely upset and scared,' she said.
'I was shocked and worried about what this might mean for my health. 'It was a grave error, and I still can't fathom how it happened. I accept that humans make mistakes, but the way the practice dealt with it was appalling.
They were apathetic and not understanding of what I had been through. 'The mistake was bad enough in the first place, but the aftercare was worse. That is why I escalated it to the Ombudsman as there was no acknowledgement of the distress I experienced for three months.
' The woman was forced to wait three months, before she could be tested for HIV and learn that the results were negative Thankfully, the results did come back negative for the blood-borne diseases. HIV — which affects about 105,200 people in the UK according to National AIDS Trust — damages the cells in the immune system and weakens the body's ability to fight every day infections and disease. The virus is spread through the bodily fluids — such as semen, vaginal and anal fluids, blood and breast milk — of an infected person.
However, it cannot be spread through sweat, saliva or urine. It is most commonly transmitted through having condom-less anal or vaginal sex. Similarly, hepatitis is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person.
Read More A cure for HIV? Man, 60, declared 'free' of the virus after stem cell transplant Poor healthcare practices and unsafe medical injections are the main way it's spread outside the UK, according to the NHS. England's Health Ombudsman, who investigated the incident, is urging GPs to be vigilant about ensuring infection prevention and control processes are followed to ensure this doesn't happen again. The practice had already apologised to the woman and said it had put steps in place to stop similar mistakes in the future.
But the PHSO found that the practice had not done enough to acknowledge its failing and put it right. It recommended that the practice pay the woman £500 in recognition of the distress caused. The GP practice has since complied.
Ombudsman Rebecca Hilsenrath said: 'We all know that mistakes happen. There is always the possibility for human error in any profession. 'Fortunately, in this instance this serious mistake had no medical repercussions.
' She added: 'The focus of our investigation was the impact on the patient. For three months, she had to live with the uncertainty of whether she could be suffering from a serious disease, with all the implications that entailed for her own life and that of her child. 'This was not addressed by the practice and needed to be put right.
The practice has now acknowledged its failings and taken steps to make sure the same mistake doesn't happen again. This shows the power of complaining in bringing resolution to issues like this.' What is HIV? HIV damages the cells in the immune system and weakens the body's ability to fight every day infections and disease.
The virus is spread through the bodily fluids — such as semen, vaginal and anal fluids, blood and breast milk — of an infected person. However, it cannot be spread through sweat, saliva or urine. It is most commonly transmitted through having condom-less anal or vaginal sex.
Tests are the only way to detect HIV. They are available from GPs, sexual health clinics, some charities and online and involve taking a sample of saliva or blood. A preventative HIV medication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), can also be prescribed to over-16s.
It slashes the risk of contracting HIV, if it is taken correctly. Those who take post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) — an anti-HIV medicine — within 72 hours of exposure may avoid becoming infected at all. For those who are infected, no cure is available for HIV.
But antiretroviral therapy (ART) — which stops the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself — enable most to live a healthy life. NHS Share or comment on this article: HIV scare after doctor carried out intimate exam on a woman with a swab that had been used on another patient's genitals, complaint reveals e-mail Add comment.
