UK Advisory Panel for healthcare workers infected with bloodborne viruses (UKAP)
What is UKAP?
UKAP outputs
Members of UKAP
When to consult UKAP
How to consult UKAP
Relevant guidance
Support for local incident management teams
Useful inks
What is UKAP?
In December 1991 a UK Advisory Panel was set up under the aegis of the Expert Advisory Group on AIDS to consider individual cases of HIV infected healthcare workers.
Although the Panel was originally set up to advise on action regarding healthcare workers with HIV infection, its remit was extended in 1993 to include other blood borne viruses, in particular hepatitis B and more recently hepatitis C. The Panel is now known as the UK Advisory Panel for healthcare workers infected with bloodborne viruses (UKAP). Its tasks are:
1. To establish, and update as necessary, criteria on which local advice on modifying working practices may be based.
2. To provide supplementary specialist occupational advice to physicians of healthcare workers infected with bloodborne viruses, occupational physicians and professional bodies.
3. To advise individual healthcare workers or their advocates how to obtain guidance on working practices.
4. To advise directors of public health on lookback exercises in respect of patients treated by HIV infected or hepatitis B e antigen positive healthcare workers. In addition, on the rare occasions when a healthcare worker who is hepatitis B surface antigen positive but e-antigen negative; or hepatitis C infected, has been associated with transmission of infection to a patient the other patients who may have been placed at risk may need to be notified, but according to what procedure the infected healthcare worker has performed. UKAP assists directors of public health in assessing the situations on an individual basis, and it is recommended that lookbacks do not proceed without UKAP's agreement.
5. To keep under review the literature on occupational transmission of bloodborne viruses and revise guidelines as necessary.
UKAP also liaises closely with the Expert Advisory Group on AIDS and the Advisory Group on Hepatitis.
UKAP outputs
UKAP is accountable to the Department of Health through the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The two UKAP annual reports are available to download in pdf format below:
First annual report 2003 to 2004 (PDF, 103 KB)
Second annual report 2004 to 2006 (PDF, 208 KB)
Members of UKAP
Appointments to UKAP are made by the Chief Executive of the HPA usually for a term of one to three years. UKAP Panel members (PDF, 26 KB)
are selected on the basis of their specialist expertise and include people with medical and scientific expertise as well as lay members and ethicists.
When to consult UKAP
The Panel is available for consultation:
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when advice is needed regarding restricting the practice of healthcare workers infected with bloodborne viruses;
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when a lookback exercise may be needed as a result of exposure prone procedures being undertaken on patients by a healthcare worker infected with a bloodborne virus;
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for general advice concerning the categorisation of clinical procedures as exposure prone.
The Panel works within the framework of government guidance concerning healthcare workers and bloodborne viruses, and aims to interpret the guidance in relation to individual cases on a consistent basis.
How to consult UKAP
A formal request for advice should be sent to UKAP via the Secretariat, accompanied by a completed 
UKAP enquiry pro forma (Word Document, 48 KB)
The Secretariat to UKAP is provided by staff at the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections as indicated below:
Ms Helen Janecek
Senior Administrator, UKAP
Bloodborne Viruses
HPA Centre for Infections, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
tel: 020 8327 6074; email: ukap@hpa.org.uk
Dr Fortune Ncube
Medical Secretary, UKAP
Consultant Epidemiologist and Consultant in Public Health Medicine,
tel: 020 8327 6423; email: ukap@hpa.org.uk
Ms Sarah Tomkins
Scientist (Epidemiology)
tel: 020 8327 7095; email: ukap@hpa.org.uk
Relevant NHS guidance
General
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Medical and Dental Students: Health Clearance for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and Tuberculosis. Medical Schools Council: February 2008 [external link]
HIV
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Support for local incident management teams
Staff at the HPA Centre for Infections are available for advice and support on the management of incidents involving healthcare workers infected with bloodborne viruses, including the practical aspects of undertaking lookbacks and patient notification exercises. The UKAP lookback toolkit contains advice and template documents to assist local incident management teams. For further information please contact:
Ms Helen Janecek tel: 020 8327 6074 or Dr Fortune Ncube tel: 020 8327 6423. You can also email the team at: ukap@hpa.org.uk
Useful links
Department of Health
Expert Advisory Group on AIDS
Advisory Group on Hepatitis
