Hepatitis Screening Blood Test
A private hepatitis screening blood test for the three viral hepatitis infections, A, B and C, from one venous sample with a GP report. For anyone who may have been exposed through sex, needles, tattoos, medical treatment abroad or work, planning travel or a new job, or wants a confidential check. £129 at one of 250+ Goodbody clinics or £149 with a nurse. Results in 5 to 7 working days.... Read more
A private hepatitis screening blood test for the three viral hepatitis infections, A, B and C, from one venous sample with a GP report. For anyone who may have been exposed through sex, needles, tattoos, medical treatment abroad or work, planning travel or a new job, or wants a confidential check. £129 at one of 250+ Goodbody clinics or £149 with a nurse. Results in 5 to 7 working days.
Key facts
- Price: £129 at a Goodbody clinic; £149 with a nurse home visit
- Measures: hepatitis A antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibodies
- Timing: hepatitis B and C can take up to three months after exposure to become detectable; test at three months, or test now and repeat
- Sample: venous blood draw; not available as a finger-prick kit; no fasting
- Results: emailed within 5 to 7 working days with a GP report
- Not included: HIV or other sexually transmitted infections; see our sexual health tests
Your questions answered
What is a hepatitis screening test?
A blood test for the three viruses that cause most infectious hepatitis, inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis A is caught from contaminated food or water and clears on its own; the test shows whether you have had it or been vaccinated. Hepatitis B and C are spread through blood and body fluids, can persist for decades without symptoms, and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer if untreated; hepatitis B is preventable by vaccine and hepatitis C is now curable with tablets. This test looks for hepatitis B surface antigen, which shows current infection, and antibodies to hepatitis A and hepatitis C.
What are the tests for hepatitis, and what does each result mean?
Hepatitis B surface antigen: positive means you currently have hepatitis B, acute or chronic, and need GP referral for further tests and treatment; negative means no current infection, though it does not show past infection or vaccination. Hepatitis C antibodies: positive means you have been infected at some point; some people clear the virus, so a positive antibody is followed by a PCR test to see whether the virus is still present, and if so, treatment with tablets cures most people. Hepatitis A antibodies: positive means past infection or vaccination and lifelong immunity. Your GP report explains your combination and the next step.
When should I test for hepatitis B or C after exposure?
Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibodies can take several weeks after exposure to become detectable, so a negative test within the first weeks does not rule either out. Test at three months after the exposure for a reliable result; if you cannot wait, test now and repeat at three months. If the exposure was very recent, within 72 hours, and significant, such as a needlestick or unprotected sex with someone known to have hepatitis B, contact a sexual health clinic or A&E immediately, because hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin can prevent infection if given quickly.
Who should have a hepatitis test?
Anyone who has had unprotected sex with a new partner, shared needles or drug equipment, had a tattoo, piercing or medical or dental treatment abroad or in unregulated settings, received a blood transfusion before 1991 in the UK, or was born or lived in a country where hepatitis B or C is common. Healthcare, laboratory, emergency and prison workers exposed to blood. People with unexplained abnormal liver tests. And anyone planning travel or work that requires proof of hepatitis status or immunity. Most people with chronic hepatitis B or C have no symptoms and do not know.
Can I get a free hepatitis test from the NHS?
Yes. Sexual health clinics test for hepatitis B and C free and confidentially, the NHS offers a free home hepatitis C finger-prick kit online, and some areas offer home hepatitis B kits; your GP will also test if you have a risk factor or abnormal liver results. This private test is for people who want all three viruses checked in one laboratory sample with a GP report, prefer a clinic or home nurse visit to a sexual health service, need a documented result for travel or work, or want the result within a week.
Does an HIV test detect hepatitis?
No. HIV and the hepatitis viruses are different infections and need separate tests, though they share transmission routes and are often tested together in sexual health screens. This test covers hepatitis A, B and C only. If you want HIV and other sexually transmitted infections tested as well, our sexual health tests cover them, and a sexual health clinic will test for all of them free.
Would a liver function test show hepatitis?
It might, but it cannot confirm or exclude it. Acute hepatitis raises the liver enzyme ALT sharply, and chronic hepatitis B or C often raise it mildly, so an unexplained raised ALT is a common reason for hepatitis testing. But many people with chronic hepatitis have normal liver tests for years, and raised enzymes have many other causes. If you want to know whether you have hepatitis, you need this virus-specific test; if you want to know whether a known infection is affecting your liver, you need liver function tests as well. Our Liver Blood Test is from £49.
What are the early signs of hepatitis?
Often none. When acute hepatitis causes symptoms they are flu-like: tiredness, fever, aches, nausea, loss of appetite and pain under the right ribs, followed in some people by dark urine, pale stools and yellowing of the skin and eyes. Chronic hepatitis B and C typically cause no symptoms at all for years, which is why screening matters; by the time tiredness, itching or jaundice appear, liver damage may already be advanced. Anyone with jaundice should see a GP promptly rather than wait for a screening result.
What happens if I test positive for hepatitis B or C?
Your GP report explains the result and its urgency. A positive hepatitis B surface antigen means referral through your GP to a liver specialist for further blood tests, assessment of liver damage and, where needed, antiviral treatment; household and sexual contacts should be tested and vaccinated. A positive hepatitis C antibody is followed by a PCR test to see whether the virus is still present; if it is, treatment with a course of tablets cures most people and is free on the NHS. Neither result means liver damage is inevitable, and both are manageable.
Is hepatitis A included, and why?
Yes. Hepatitis A is common in travellers returning from countries with poor sanitation and causes an unpleasant acute illness but no chronic infection. The antibody test shows whether you are immune, from past infection or vaccination, which is useful before travel: if you are not immune, a vaccine gives long-lasting protection. A positive result with recent symptoms can indicate current infection, which the GP report will explain.
Do I need to prepare, and how is the sample taken?
No fasting or preparation. The test needs a venous blood sample, taken at one of 250+ Goodbody clinics or by a nurse at home, so it is not available as a finger-prick kit. Results are confidential and sent only to you. No GP referral is needed.
How long does it take to get hepatitis blood test results back?
Results are emailed within 5 to 7 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory, with a GP report that explains each of the three results and, if any is positive, exactly what to do next and how urgently.
What happens next
Your results and GP report are emailed within 5 to 7 working days of your sample reaching the laboratory. The report explains each result in plain language and, if any is positive, sets out the next step, including the confirmatory tests and the referral to ask your GP for. Results are confidential. All samples are analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
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What biomarkers do we test?
How our tests work
Book online...
Book online, receive your kit and take to your local Goodbody clinic.
Send it back…
Send your sample in the post to be analysed at an accredited laboratory.
Get results.
Get your comprehensive detailed results report from the laboratory, with guidance from our support team.
Available testing locations for Hepatitis Screening Blood Test
Aberdeen Clinic GCI Advanced Aesthetics
Abergavenny Clinic Amatsu Centre
Airdrie Clinic Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy
Aldershot Clinic Wellington Pharmacy
Alton Clinic Four Marks Pharmacy
Andover Clinic Dr Malaika Clinics
Anniesland Clinic Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy
Arlesey Clinic Waterloo Farm Wellness
Armadale Clinic Dears Pharmacy
Ascot Clinic Ascot Pharmacy
AshbyDeLaZouch Clinic Aeternum Aesthetics
Ashford Clinic Breakspear Pharmacy
Aveley Clinic Doctor B Aesthetics
Aylesbury Clinic Aura Body Clinic
Aylesbury Clinic Pearlfect Care Pharmacy
Aylsham Clinic North Norfolk Ear & Skin Care
Ballingry Clinic
Barnet Clinic Co Wellbeing
Find More
More Information
How our blood tests work
Have your blood taken in-clinic by one of our skilled phlebotomists and check multiple biomarkers in one go. Many of our tests can also be done in the comfort of your own home with one of our easy-to-use test kits.
Testing
Take a test, either in the comfort of your own home, with a nurse visit, or at one of our clinics nationwide.
Analysis
Your sample is analysed in the clinic, laboratory or using your home test equipment.
Results
Get your comprehensive detailed results report from the laboratory.
Not sure if this test
is right for you?
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Experts you can trust
Meet our Goodbody Experts
Our team of professionals has decades of experience so you can be sure you’re getting the best tests and support to understand and improve your health.
Get in touch with Our Team
Dr Lebeth Jacob
BSc (Hons) MBChB
Registered GP & Lead Medical Advisor
Dr Alexandre Akoulitchev
MA, PhD, FRSM
Clinical Support Advisor
Dr Cheng Boon
MBCHB, MRCP, FRCR
Consultant Oncologist
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