Latest news with #InfectedBloodScandal
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Infected blood victims ‘left in dark' over compensation, Andy Burnham warns
Victims of the infected blood scandal have been 'left in the dark' about when they will receive compensation a year after a sweeping inquiry report was published, Andy Burnham has said. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, who served as health secretary under Gordon Brown, also called for criminal investigations into the scandal. The Infected Blood Inquiry, which published its seminal report a year ago, concluded the scandal 'could largely have been avoided' and there was a 'pervasive' cover-up to hide the truth. More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. And more than 3,000 people have died as a result while survivors are living with lifelong health implications. A compensation scheme was announced the day after the report was published. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Week In Westminster programme, Mr Burnham said it 'pains me' to hear victims are still without compensation a year after the scheme was launched. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has said, as of May 6, 106 compensation payments have been made, totalling more than £96 million. Mr Burnham, who has campaigned on behalf of victims, added: 'We thought, didn't we, after the public inquiry reported that the whole of the British state would say, 'right, now we put things right, and we do it quickly'. 'Firstly, there's just the delays and they're left in the dark, and so many people just left waiting. There's the randomness of it.' Compensation awards appear to be made via a 'lottery' the mayor claimed, insisting they should instead be given out 'on the basis of people's need and the level of their condition'. Mr Burnham added: 'It's just wrong that people have been dying weekly ever since the public inquiry reported without any compensation at all. How does anybody in Whitehall justify that?' The former health secretary stood by previous comments in which he said he believed there had been a criminal cover-up behind the scandal. 'This is a systematic cover-up all the way through the system that went on for decades under all governments,' he said. Mr Burnham added: 'It has got to be the case that alongside the compensation, there has to be criminal investigation. 'Because I know as secretary of state, I was given untrue briefings that contained that line – that nobody was supposedly knowingly given unsafe blood – but the warnings had been given to the Department of Health, many, many years before.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Infected blood victims ‘left in dark' over compensation, Andy Burnham warns
Victims of the infected blood scandal have been 'left in the dark' about when they will receive compensation a year after a sweeping inquiry report was published, Andy Burnham has said. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, who served as health secretary under Gordon Brown, also called for criminal investigations into the scandal. The Infected Blood Inquiry, which published its seminal report a year ago, concluded the scandal 'could largely have been avoided' and there was a 'pervasive' cover-up to hide the truth. More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. And more than 3,000 people have died as a result while survivors are living with lifelong health implications. A compensation scheme was announced the day after the report was published. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Week In Westminster programme, Mr Burnham said it 'pains me' to hear victims are still without compensation a year after the scheme was launched. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has said, as of May 6, 106 compensation payments have been made, totalling more than £96 million. Mr Burnham, who has campaigned on behalf of victims, added: 'We thought, didn't we, after the public inquiry reported that the whole of the British state would say, 'right, now we put things right, and we do it quickly'. 'Firstly, there's just the delays and they're left in the dark, and so many people just left waiting. There's the randomness of it.' Compensation awards appear to be made via a 'lottery' the mayor claimed, insisting they should instead be given out 'on the basis of people's need and the level of their condition'. Mr Burnham added: 'It's just wrong that people have been dying weekly ever since the public inquiry reported without any compensation at all. How does anybody in Whitehall justify that?' The former health secretary stood by previous comments in which he said he believed there had been a criminal cover-up behind the scandal. 'This is a systematic cover-up all the way through the system that went on for decades under all governments,' he said. Mr Burnham added: 'It has got to be the case that alongside the compensation, there has to be criminal investigation. 'Because I know as secretary of state, I was given untrue briefings that contained that line – that nobody was supposedly knowingly given unsafe blood – but the warnings had been given to the Department of Health, many, many years before.'
Metro
09-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
'People will die before they get compensation from the Infected Blood Scandal'
Cressida Haughton (left) lost her father Derek and Deborah Dennis her husband Barrie after they were infected by blood plasma (Picture: Jeff Moore/PA Wire) A victim of the Infected Blood Scandal has accused the government of 'playing a waiting game' in paying compensation. Steve Nicholls, 58, from Surrey, is one of the about 122 infected schoolboys who went to Treloars, a school for disabled children in Hampshire. He was left with hepatitis A, B, C and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) as a result of the injections he was given. Eighty of the boys have died, he said. He is now calling on the Government to speed up its payouts to the victims and families of those who have died, adding that he fears people will die before they get compensation. More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with hepatitis and HIV after they were given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s without their knowledge, now known as the Infected Blood Scandal. The school said it was unaware that the blood products were infected with HIV and hepatitis C and has since apologised to the victims and their families. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Over 3,000 infected people have died since, and the number keeps rising after one of the biggest scandals affecting the NHS. The victims included boys with haemophilia attending Treloars school, where they were infected without their parents' consent. The service engineer, who went to the school when he was nine, told Metro: 'I got all the infections from Treloars, but I didn't find out until I was 25. I managed to hold down a full-time job, as all the boys did. ' However, at about 40, his health 'started to crash.' Meanwhile, his mum and dad – like hundreds of other parents of the infected – felt 'tremendously guilty' as they unknowingly 'could have signed us up for medical research' and his mum gave him the injections prescribed by doctors. Steve, who is married and has grown-up children, said he feels 'fatigued' and 'very tired, but I will not let this go until I see justice' after 40 years. Steve Nicholls, 58, from Surrey, was infected with hepatitis A, B and C and a blood clotting disease by blood products given to him at the Treloars School (Picture: PA) He described the delay in compensation as 'completely unacceptable' He continued: 'If people pass away before they make a claim for compensation, in many cases that compensation claim dies with them. 'It's hard to draw any conclusion that the government is playing a waiting game. It should be much simpler and faster.' He said the infection scandal has had 'a massive impact' on this family and other victims who 'continue to suffer today.' Following years of tireless campaigning by victims and their loved ones, the scandal made headlines, leading to an official inquiry led by Sir Brian Langstaff. Bombshell documents previously revealed how children were compared to chimpanzees by government-funded agencies as part of their plans to use blood plasma known as Factor VIII. Stuart Cantrill lost his dad (pictured) to AIDS at the age of 15 after his father was infected with HIV he got from blood products (Picture: Stuart Cantrill) The inquiry heard that documents from 1970 reveal how the scientists working on the research knew that the Factor blood products 'have been found to transmit this form of hepatitis to chimpanzees,' yet they still sent the products to the school and did not inform them. The infected plasma was bought from the US, where pharmaceutical companies had sourced the blood by mixing it from prisoners and paid donors. It was then sold to hospitals and schools for haemophiliac children in the UK. To make matters worse, the details of the infections were widely covered up, the a report found last year. While the inquiry concluded last May and found there were 'catalogue of failures' with 'catastrophic' consequences, the gruelling wait for compensation continues for many. Danielle Mullan holds a picture of her mum Marie Cromie, who died on July 4, 2023 after being infected with hepatitis C from infected blood products (Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire) Last year, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the inquiry's findings as a 'day of shame' for the state. Further hearings on the government's response to compensation were held this week, with victims and campaigners speaking on Wednesday and yesterday. Nick Thomas-Symonds, a Cabinet Office minister, was heckled when he gave evidence. He apologised and told the victims and families in the room that the 'government has failed you over decades on behalf of the state. I am sorry.' When he was asked whether both victims and affected people will die before compensation, he said 'yes.' The government has said it has paid £80,000,000 in compensation out of the £11,800,000,000 in total. Steve, who has been campaigning for the infected, said the morale is 'at an all-time low.' Former students of Treloars School (from left to right): Adrian Goodyear, Richard Warwick, Steve Nicholls, and Gary Webster (Picture: PA) He said they could 'see the light at the end of the tunnel' last year when the initial inquiry concluded – but the relief was short-lived. Speaking from the hearing during a break, he told Metro: 'We felt validated and recognised, we have fought for over 40 years to be recognised, and we thought we had achieved it and the rest would follow very quickly. 'But within two days, the government had called the General Election, and we knew we were in trouble and could see delays.' 'Our numbers are diminishing fast,' he added. The relatives of victims of the blood scandal posed with the final report last year (Picture: AFP/Images) What happens next for victims? The compensation service is set to open up to around 100 people each week, the independent compensation body told Metro. A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority said: 'Those impacted by the infected blood scandal have waited decades for recognition and compensation, and that's why our priority remains paying as many people as soon as possible. We thank the Infected Blood Inquiry and all those who gave evidence across the two days of further hearings. 'We have started small, learning from each person making a claim, and have continued to build these learnings into our claim service as we have grown. So far, 677 people have been asked to start their compensation claim and this number continues to grow, with more than £90 million offered in compensation. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page 'We are now opening our service to around 100 people every week. We expect that every living and infected person registered with a support scheme will be able to start their claim by the end of 2025, and we are working through these as quickly as possible.' Treloars School said in a statement: 'With additional hearings being held this week to address the timeliness and adequacy of the Government's response to compensation following the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry's report 12 months ago, we would like to reiterate the call we made at that time to implement compensation plans without further delay. 'The Inquiry's report laid bare the full extent of this horrifying national scandal. We are deeply saddened that some of our former pupils were so tragically infected and their families affected, and we share our former students' frustration with the time it is taking for compensation to be paid. 'Separately, we are actively working with our former students and their families to deliver a lasting memorial to those who received infected blood products.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Leeds United fan, 23, in coma after falling from tree during club's promotion parade Arrow MORE: Woman quit over results of 'which Star Wars character are you?' personality quiz Arrow MORE: US warned to prepare as bird flu 'absolutely could be the next pandemic'
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘My dad would have been devastated' – bereaved speak out over infected blood payouts.
A nurse whose father died after being given infected blood has said he would have been 'disgusted' at the way bereaved families have been treated in the wake of the scandal. Louise Huitson said her father died in 2021 believing his family would receive a payout 'soon'. Some 106 people have received payouts so far. Ms Huitson, an A&E nurse, was among hundreds of people affected by the scandal attending special hearings of the Infected Blood Inquiry about the 'timeliness and adequacy of the Government's response to compensation'. She took her seven-week-old son Jacob Joseph, named after his grandfather, to the hearings. Jacob, like his grandfather, has haemophilia, an inherited disorder which means the blood does not clot properly. Joe Huitson was infected with hepatitis C as a teenager while receiving treatment for the condition. Hepatitis C is a virus passed on through blood and can cause serious damage to the liver. For Mr Huitson, it led to liver cancer which spread to his spine, also causing him paralysis. He died in 2021 when he was 54. Ms Huitson, 38, from Kettering, told the PA news agency: 'Jacob is dad's first grandchild, which is really sad because he was desperate for grandchildren. 'He loved children and all children just loved him, he was just one of those people that children just gravitate to because they're fun and throw them around. 'So it's really sad, because he just would have absolutely adored being a grandfather. 'And Jacob is haemophiliac as well, so dad would have been so supportive.' She described how Jacob, one of the youngest people with haemophilia in the country, bled for five hours when he had his 'heel prick test' at five days old, and ended up in hospital. 'I wouldn't have panicked so much if dad was here,' Ms Huitson said. Ms Huitson said her father felt 'lucky' because many of his peers had also been co-infected with HIV. An acute hepatitis C infection left him using a wheelchair for eight years, but Ms Huitson said he was determined to walk again and did so a number of years later. Her father, from Oxfordshire, and who worked as a care manager, found out he had liver cancer in 2020. Ms Huitson said his transition from being a carer to being cared for was particularly difficult for her father, who was going to the gym daily before his cancer diagnosis. 'To suddenly be the guy that had to be cared for just broke him,' she said. But despite his illness, he was the 'most popular person I've ever known in my life,' she said, describing her father as a 'lovely' man. Mr Huitson, a father of six, was keenly watching the inquiry proceedings before his death. Ms Huitson said some of her father's last words were 'just make sure they look after all of you lot'. She went on: 'There's still no (mention of) payout to the estates, I'm not hearing anything about estates for the dead infected. 'So I think he'd be disgusted, he'd be devastated. 'He was so glad that the inquiry had happened, and he thought it was going well, and he was like 'Everyone's going to get paid (it won't be) too long, I know that I'm going die and but everyone's going be looked after'.' More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. More than 3,000 people died as a result and survivors are living with lifelong health implications. In her October budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves allocated £11.8 billion to compensate victims, administered by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). The IBCA said, as of May 6, 677 people have been asked to start their claim and 106 payments have been made, totalling more than £96 million. It is expected the 'bulk' of payments for people infected will be paid out by 2027 and the bulk of payments for the affected are expected to be paid by 2029. Officials from the IBCA gave evidence on Thursday. Interim chairman Sir Robert Francis told the hearing there is an 'awareness' in the IBCA 'that every day we're not paying someone, the chances of someone dying are there'. IBCA interim chief executive David Foley added: 'I wish we could get to everybody all at the same time.' He added: 'We know we have to go faster. We know we have to do more. 'But from a standing start in May, in less than four months, we paid the first people. 'We've now written to 677 people to begin their claims. 'It is not enough, and it will not be enough until every single person's paid compensation, we are trying to go as fast as we can.' Sir Robert added: 'I'm acutely aware that any time taken to receive and process claims and awards is too long for those who have waited decades for justice, and in far too many cases have died before receiving it. 'We do not expect the community to be satisfied with our work until we have made full award to all those entitled to them. 'We will continue to review our work, all the time, asking ourselves how we can go faster while maintaining accuracy, compassion and fairness.' Mr Foley said that there is not currently a timescale to open the scheme to 'deceased infected' but added: 'There a mission to open all of those parts of the scheme as quickly as possible.'
The Independent
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Fury as domestic abusers can claim compensation for UK's biggest health scandal
Abusive ex-partners of victim's of the UK's biggest health scandal could be handed thousands of pounds in compensation even if they have a conviction - and the government has admitted it has no power to stop it. Under new legislation rolled out in March, partners, siblings, children and parents of the 30,000 people infected with HIV or hepatitis C during the 1970s and 80s can apply for Infected Blood Scandal compensation in their own right as an 'affected person'. Campaigner Jackie Britton flagged her concerns to the government that there was nothing to stop domestic abusers applying to claim, which in some cases could see people handed up to £86,000. She was shocked to be told that while they shared her concerns, there was 'no provision' to exclude them due to a loophole in the law. It added it had looked to prevent those with relevant convictions, but could find no practical way of doing so. Domestic abuse campaigners said they were 'alarmed' by the issue, which they said allowed perpetrators opportunity to further exploit their victims. A letter from the Cabinet Office to Ms Britton, seen by The Independent, confirmed the government's hands are tied. It read: 'The minister for the Cabinet Office shares the concerns that you and others have raised on abusive family members. 'That is not the loving and caring relationship upon which the claim of the affected to compensation is based. The government has considered options for how it could provide IBCA (Infected Blood Scandal Authority) with the ability to take this into account in assessing affected claims. 'Unfortunately it has not found a way of doing this in law.' The letter continued: 'I am afraid there will be no provision to exclude abusive family members in the upcoming regulations. 'The minister has however written to the interim chair of the IBCA to emphasise the importance of protecting vulnerable applicants to the compensation service, particularly those who have suffered domestic abuse and other serious harm. 'This includes making sure that claims managers are properly trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and embedding the necessary procedures to raise safeguarding concerns within the organisation.' Ms Britton has called for the government to ensure each claim is stringently reviewed. The 62-year-old from Fareham, Hampshire, was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2010 after four decades of ill health, and has been left with liver cirrhosis, which requires regular check-ups. 'Why should they get a free pass to claim thousands under the heading of 'affected' when many of them played no positive part in the lives of those that were infected?' she said. Rachel Buckley, joint managing director at The Family Law Company, said compensation under the scheme would likely be treated in the same way as a personal injury compensation award. She said even in cases involving domestic abuse, it would be be considered 'inequitable' to disregard a person's entitlement to claim. ' Many family law professionals including the Family Law Company agree that there needs to be change and there is growing recognition of the impact of domestic abuse, including coercive control on divorce and finances matters but the law has yet to fully evolve to reflect this," she said. Sophie Francis-Cansfield, Head of Policy at Women's Aid, said: 'Women's Aid are alarmed to learn that because compensation is viewed as a marital asset, there are circumstances in which perpetrators of domestic abuse are entitled to the funds awarded to their ex-partners. 'This is yet another example of the way in which our society is not set up to support survivors of domestic abuse, despite the fact that 1 in 4 women will experience it in their lifetime. 'Instead of having a system that support survivors of abuse, who have also had to deal with the devastating impact of the blood scandal, we have created one that perpetrators can exploit to inflict further harm.' A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority said it was recruiting 500 claim managers to support those making claims and all were trained on the safeguarding of vulnerable people and trauma. 'We are working closely with partners such as the National Domestic Violence Helpline and Respect Men to ensure support is in place for anyone who shows signs of abuse or raises a concern to their claim manager," they added. A Government spokesperson said it acknowledged the concerns raised and the minister for the Cabinet Office had met victims in this position. "We are committed to delivering compensation which is why £11.8bn was set aside in the Budget for this purpose. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is working to deliver compensation as quickly as possible.'
