Infected blood scandal victims to get compensation payments before end of year

An estimated multibillion pound scheme to compensate UK victims of the contaminated blood scandal and their families by the end of the year has been announced, the day after a damning report found the NHS and government to be culpable for the tragedy.

The chair of the infected blood inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff, called last year for a compensation framework to be set up for those infected and affected by the scandal and in Tuesday’s report criticised the government’s failure to do so.

Responding to Langstaff’s findings, Rishi Sunak promised to deliver a comprehensive compensation scheme “whatever it costs” and, on Wednesday, the Cabinet Office minister, John Glen, set out the details in parliament.

More than 30,000 people were infected with HIV, hepatitis C or both as a result of being given contaminated blood products or transfusions from the 1970s to the early 90s. When stressing the urgency of setting up the compensation scheme, Langstaff pointed out that the death toll was mounting by the week, with 3,000 already estimated to have died.

In Tuesday’s report, he said the victims of the scandal had been let down by “successive governments” who ignored warnings about the risks of contamination, engaged in a “cover-up” and resisted for decades holding a public inquiry or paying compensation.

More details soon …