The UK Government released further documents on Friday regarding the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, aimed to provide redress to over 30,000 individuals who were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C from contaminated blood. The new disclosures encompass a government update, a series of recommendations by Sir Robert Francis KC, interim chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, and the government’s response to these proposals.
Regulations must be established by August 24 under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. Sir Robert Francis KC acknowledged the previous government’s failure to adequately engage with impacted communities, which in turn affected victims’ trust in the scheme. Notably, all persons registered with an infected blood support scheme before April 1, 2025, including surviving victims and bereaved partners, will now receive ongoing support payments for life.
One highlight from the recommendations includes an additional payment of £10,000 for individuals infected due to “unethical research,” such as the non-consensual involvement of hemophilic children in trials at Lord Mayor Treloar College in Hampshire. These individuals will receive an extra £15,000.
Paymaster General and Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds stated that individual compensation could reach up to £2.8 million for the most severely affected, employing a tariff-based approach where injury awards will vary based on severity, with supplementary claims available for those with extraordinary care costs or loss of earnings.
However, there has been immediate disapproval from some victims. One victim stated, “We’re actually livid with anger … After all these decades of fighting … the government are offering such paltry figures.” Another victim of the Treloar scandal described the compensation as “exceptionally low” and “insulting.”
Rachel Halford, CEO of the Hepatitis C Trust, criticized the scheme’s limitations, highlighting it does not cover those infected with Hepatitis C after 1991, or those infected with Hepatitis B. Leigh Day, representing over 300 affected individuals, also voiced concerns about disparities in compensation for those infected with mono-HIV versus mono-HCV.
Thomas-Symonds clarified that no amount of compensation can fully address the suffering caused by the scandal, stressing the need for broader cultural changes to prevent recurrence of such events.
The Infected Blood Scandal Inquiry uncovered significant failures and a pervasive coverup by the NHS, which contributed to over 3,000 deaths. Affected individuals can currently register for the compensation scheme, with payouts expected to commence in 2025.