What is the infected blood scandal? Inquiry into biggest treatment disaster in NHS history due to publish findings
20 May 2024, 07:11 | Updated: 20 May 2024, 09:30
The infected blood scandal - dubbed the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS - has been the subject of the biggest ever public inquiry in the UK. But what is it?
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Between the 1970s and early 1990s, more than 30,000 people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C due to contaminated blood or blood products.
Around 3,000 are known to have died, but many more who unwittingly contracted hepatitis C may also have died.
In his report due to be released on Monday, Sir Brian Langstaff is expected to detail the mistakes that led to the scandal's deaths.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to apologise following the publication of the report after a six-year inquiry.
Who was was affected?
There were two main groups of NHS patients impacted.
Haemophiliacs - and those with similar disorders - who have a rare genetic condition which means their blood does not clot properly.
Those with haemophilia A have a shortage of a clotting agent named Factor VIII, whereas people with haemophilia B do not possess sufficient Factor IX.
In the 1970s, a new treatment utilising donated human blood plasma was developed to replace these clotting agents.
However, entire batches were contaminated with lethal viruses, and having been administered the infected treatments, approximately 1,250 people with bleeding disorders went on to develop HIV and hepatitis C, including 380 children.
Two-thirds died from Aids-related illnesses, and some unwillingly gave HIV to their partners.
Then another 2,400 to 5,000 with haemophilia developed Hepatitis C independently, which can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The second group of people impacted were those who were given a contaminated blood transfusion following childbirth, surgery or other medical treatment between 1970 and 1991.
According to the inquiry, between 80 and 100 were infected with HIV, and about 27,000 with Hepatitis C.
It's estimated that 2,900 people have died.
Nick Ferrari is joined by infected blood scandal victim Andrew Evans
Why did the infected blood scandal happen?
The UK was struggling to meet the demand for blood-clotting treatments, so imported supplies from the US.
However, a lot of blood was brought in from high risk donors like drug users and prison inmates.
Factor 8 was produced by pooling plasma from tens of thousands of donors, but if one was infected with a virus, it would spread through the entire batch.
It wasn't until 1991 that blood donations were routinely screened for hepatitis C, 18 months after the virus was initially identified. This is how the scandal unfolded.
What action did authorities take?
By the mid-1970s there were multiple warnings that impacted US Factor 8 had a greater risk of infection.
However initiatives to ensure the UK was more self-sufficient in blood products did not work, so the NHS carried on using foreign supplies.
Campaigners have said haemophiliacs could have been given an alternative treatment named Cryoprecipitate.
This was more difficult to administer but was lower risk as it was made from the blood plasma of a single donor. By the end of 1985, all Factor 8 products were heat-treated to kill the HIV virus.
Read more: 'Up to 23,000 criminals each year to avoid jail' if Government loosens sentences as prisons fill up
Will victims be compensated?
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has admitted the government has been “too slow” to deliver justice for the thousands affected by the contaminated blood scandal.
The defence secretary’s comments came as ministers prepare to unveil a £10 billion compensation package for the victims and their families.
After advice from the inquiry in 2022, the government made interim payments of £100,000 each to approximately 4000 surviving victims and some bereaved parents.
In April 2023, Sir Brian said interim compensation should also be given to the children and parents of those infected. He also recommended a final compensation scheme be set up.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt told The Sunday Times that a new compensation package of at least £10 billion for those affected by the scandal will be set up.
The government has accepted the case for compensation, but said it would be "inappropriate" to respond before the inquiry's full report.
But in April 2024, ministers agreed to support a Labour amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, meaning a final compensation scheme must be set up within three months of the legislation becoming law.
