The government has unveiled an updated compensation scheme worth billions of pounds, which includes additional payments for victims of the contaminated blood scandal who were subjected to “unethical research.”
Over 30,000 individuals in the UK contracted HIV or hepatitis during the 1970s and 1980s after receiving contaminated blood products, marking one of the most significant medical disasters in NHS history. A report from the Infected Blood Inquiry earlier this year revealed that this tragedy, which has claimed around 3,000 lives, could have largely been prevented. The report also highlighted a widespread cover-up that sought to conceal the truth.
In response, the government has confirmed that ongoing support payments, including those for bereaved partners, will be extended for the lifetime of the recipients.
The new compensation framework will start disbursing payments by the end of this year to those directly infected and the families of deceased victims. Other affected individuals will begin receiving payments in 2025, according to the Cabinet Office.
Victims identified by the Infected Blood Inquiry as having been unknowingly subjected to unethical research will receive an additional £10,000 in compensation. In a particularly egregious case, former students of Lord Mayor’s Treloar College in Hampshire, who were subjected to unethical testing while being treated for haemophilia with contaminated blood products, will receive £15,000.
The Infected Blood Inquiry found that NHS clinicians, aware of the risks, continued using infected plasma blood products on these students to advance their medical research.
Richard Warwick, a former student of the school who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C, expressed his frustration with the compensation figure, describing it as “derisory and insulting” and a “kick in the teeth” for all victims and their families.
Stuart Mclean, another victim, was given an unnecessary treatment at the age of eight in 1978 and only learned he was infected with Hepatitis C in 2013. He expressed relief that the support schemes would continue for life but called for greater clarity regarding the compensation details, particularly for those who suffer from severe mental health issues as a result of their infections.
These compensation updates are based on 74 recommendations from Sir Robert Francis KC, the interim chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. The government has accepted the majority of these recommendations, which include new avenues for victims to apply for compensation, allowing those with unrecognized health conditions to submit personalized applications.
