If you pierce or puncture your skin with a used medical sharp (this could be a needle, scalpel or glass from broken equipment), you must follow this first aid advice immediately:
You should also seek immediate medical advice within one hour by going to your nearest A&E department. The reason for this is that once someone has used a needle or sharp, viruses in their blood such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV may contaminate it. The risk of infection is low; however, you will need to be assessed to rule this out.
The healthcare professional treating you will assess the risks to your health and ask about your injury – for example, how and when it happened, or who had used the needle. Samples of your blood may need to be tested for hepatitis B and C and or HIV.
If the other person gives their consent, your healthcare professional may also arrange totest samples of the blood on the sharp contaminant.
Healthcare workers must safely dispose of the sharp source.
If your healthcare professional thinks you are at a low risk of infection, you may not needany treatment. If there’s a higher risk of infection, you may need:
The injury will need to be documented by our healthcare staff and a follow-up appointment arranged with the GP. A letter informing your GP of the incident, action taken, and recommended follow up will be provided.
Please contact the infection control team on 020 7253 3411 (ext. 2539), who will direct you to services which can provide further support.
Review date: 2026