Infected blood victims ‘could die before getting payouts'
People given infected blood in one of the worst treatment disasters in NHS history are 'scared they won't live to see compensation', campaigners have warned.
The inquiry into the infected blood scandal will reopen later this week amid concerns surrounding compensation for victims.
Officials said the hearings, to be held on May 7 and 8, will examine the 'timeliness and adequacy of the Government's response to compensation'.
Gary Webster, who was infected with HIV and hepatitis C during his time at Lord Mayor Treloar School in Hampshire in the 1970s and 80s, said he felt 'things have gone downhill' since the inquiry published its main report in May last year.
He told the PA news agency: 'Things aren't going the way they should be going – it's too slow and there seems to be a random system of who they pick.
'We fought for so many years to get to this stage … and now they're saying they hope to pay all the infected by the end of 2027 and they hope to pay the affected by the end of 2029.
'Well, there's two people dying a week – you only have to do the sums yourself to work out that's a lot of people that aren't going to get paid, aren't going to get the justice and will die not knowing what happened.'
'It just compounds the injury,' the 60-year-old added. 'I think people are scared now that they're not going to survive until they get compensation.'
The Haemophilia Society said people's lives had been 'ruined' by the scandal and said delays to the compensation scheme had 'added to their suffering'.
Kate Burt, the chief executive of the charity, said: 'Far from supporting this deeply damaged community, the delays and uncertainty created by the Government have added to their suffering.
'We hope the inquiry's new investigation will identify the urgent actions needed to fix this compensation scheme so that payments can be delivered quickly to everyone whose lives were ruined by this scandal.'
More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood transfusions and blood products in the 1970s and early 1990s.
Some 3,000 people died as a result, while some survivors are living with ongoing health implications.
Justine Gordon-Smith, whose father died after being infected with hepatitis C, said those affected by the scandal felt as though they were 'at the back of the queue'.
Her father Randolph Peter Gordon-Smith, who had haemophilia, died in 2018.
Ms Gordon-Smith, from Edinburgh, said: 'Of course, the infected should be prioritised because they are the ones who are directly injured – I think what we're concerned about is the degree of elderly affected people – the widows that are in their 80s, the ageing parents.
'I would like there to be more recognition of secondary impact on people – family members, including parents, widows, children, such as myself, have been forced to make huge sacrifices in our lives.'
Des Collins, a senior partner at Collins Solicitors, which is representing a significant number of those affected by the scandal, said: 'People are dying as they wait for justice. They haven't seen it. In some cases, the claims die with them.'
On the hearings, he added: 'They are relieved that at last, something appears to be happening, but there is a sense of we've been here before, and nothing ever seems to change.'
Rachel Halford, the chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said: 'A year on from the Infected Blood Inquiry report, the community is alienated, the compensation system is beset with problems, and almost nothing has been done to action the other 11 inquiry recommendations.
'Government must stop ignoring their concerns about the compensation system, its serious inadequacies, IBCA's [Infected Blood Compensation Authority] complete lack of independence, and the glacial rate at which people are being invited to claim.
'After 50 years, this is the least people deserve. They just want to move on with their lives. Yet for too many people, this last year has exacerbated decades of suffering.'
Groups representing people infected and affected by the scandal and people infected themselves will give evidence during the latest hearings.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, will also give evidence, along with senior officials from the IBCA.
In April, Mr Thomas-Symonds said he was 'restless for progress' in issuing payments to the victims.
The Infected Blood Inquiry published its main report in May last year, and a compensation scheme was announced a day later.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, allocated £11.8 billion in her October Budget to compensate victims, administered by the IBCA.
But victims have since contacted the inquiry with concerns about the compensation scheme.
Sir Brian Langstaff, the inquiry chairman, said the victims and families of those affected had been left feeling distressed and powerless by the Government's approach. He said those affected 'do not have time on their side'.
As of April 24, some 475 people have been invited to make a claim and 77 payments have been made, totalling more than £78 million, according to IBCA figures.
A spokesman for the IBCA said: 'Those impacted by the infected blood scandal have waited decades for recognition and compensation, and that is why our priority remains paying as many people as soon as possible.
'We have learned from every claim we have supported since we started to open our service in October 2024. Now we are using everything we have learned to increase the number of claims each week.
'At the end of April, we opened our service to 200 more people and from May 5 we will open our service to another 200 people. From then on, we will ask for an average of 100 people to start their claims each and every week.'
A Government spokesman said: 'The victims of this scandal have suffered unspeakably. We remain fully committed to co-operating with the inquiry, are acting on its recommendations, and are grateful for its work to date.
'We have paid nearly £80 million in compensation so far, and have set aside £11.8 billion to deliver what is one of the most comprehensive compensation schemes in modern history.'
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