More than 30,000 Britons were infected with deadly diseases after being given contaminated blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s in the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.
Victims of the infected blood scandal will receive financial support for life, the government has confirmed.
Announcing the updated multi-billion-pound compensation scheme, the government said there would also be additional payments for victims of the scandal who were subjected to “unethical research”.
More than 30,000 Britons contracted HIV or hepatitis after being given contaminated blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s in what has been called the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.
A long-awaited report from the Infected Blood Inquiry, published earlier this year, found the scandal, which has so far claimed the lives of around 3,000 people, “could largely have been avoided” and there was a “pervasive” cover-up to hide the truth.
The government has now confirmed regular support scheme payments, including for bereaved partners, will continue for life.
Infected people – both living and the families of those who died – will start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of this year, while for others affected by the scandal, payments will begin in 2025, the Cabinet Office said.
Those subjected to “unethical research” without their knowledge, identified by the Infected Blood Inquiry, will receive an additional £10,000 payment.
For those who underwent treatment as children at Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College in Hampshire, in what has been described as a “particularly egregious” case of unethical testing, that figure will be £15,000.
Pupils at the school were treated for haemophilia using plasma blood products infected with HIV and hepatitis. The Infected Blood Inquiry found NHS clinicians continued with treatments to further their medical research despite knowing the dangers.
Victims include Richard Warwick, a former pupil at the school who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C.
He told Sky News he welcomes the continuation of support payments, but described the £15,000 figure as a “kick in the teeth”.
“£15,000 is derisory and insulting, and it is just a kick in the teeth for all the victims and the families and parents of the children who didn’t make it out of that school alive,” he said.
Speaking to Sky News earlier this year, he recalled how boys at the school were made to inject the syringes filled with potentially deadly viruses into their own veins.
“We were playing Russian roulette. We didn’t know what we were giving ourselves,” he said.
Stuart Mclean was given factor 8 in 1978 when he was eight years old – treatment he did not need. He learnt that he was infected with Hepatitis C in 2013, when he was 43 years old.
Mr Mclean told Sky News: “I’m happy with the support schemes staying for life but I am hoping for more clarity on the finer details around the compensation payments, including recognising those who were infected with Hepatitis C and may suffer from severe mental health and anxiety issues.”
The compensation updates are based on 74 recommendations put forward by interim chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, Sir Robert Francis KC, to address concerns with current compensation plans.
The government has said it has accepted “the majority” of recommendations from the independent review.
The updates will also see additional routes established for victims to apply for compensation, including allowing people who have health conditions that are not recognised by the “core” route to make a personalised application.
