Bad blood over government compensation scandal

Campaigners have been left feeling “angry” and “betrayed” by the Government’s final offer of compensation to survivors of the contaminated NHS blood scandal.

The settlement, which only applies to people with haemophilia in England, will see an increase from £25,000 to £50,000 in the one-off payment people receive when their hepatitis C develops into cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Those people will also receive annual payments of £12.800, a sum that gives them parity with people infected with HIV.

People infected with hepatitis C will also be able to apply for discretionary payments for the first time.

Posthumous claims can now be made on behalf of those who died from hepatitis C prior to 29 August 2003, but applications must be made before the end of March.

Sue Threakall, Secretary of the pressure group TaintedBlood, whose husband Bob died in 1991 after contracting HIV from contaminated blood, said the haemophilia community was “very angry” and “desperately upset,” with people not knowing where to turn.

She said that no amount of money could bring about closure, but that a lump sum could ensure that people too ill to work could be financially independent and provide for their families after their deaths.

She thought that the terms of the settlement meant that between 15-18 per cent of people affected would benefit.

She said: “There’s this awful desperation, because people are struggling so much with their health but they really don’t want to give this fight up.”

Joseph Peaty contracted HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products and became too ill to work in 1996.

A wheelchair-user, he needs home care because of the damage to his body caused by the infections.

He received £20,000 in 1990 and a further £25,000 in 1992.

In May 2010 he became eligible for annual payments of £12,800, a sum made available for people with haemophilia who contracted HIV.

But he will not qualify for anything under the latest scheme because, despite his physical condition, he has not developed cirrhosis or liver cancer.

He says he was “angry” and “disillusioned” by the government review, which he says will not help others like him who are unable to work and who incur high costs as a result of their infections.

He said: “Like the rest of the haemophilia community I’m deeply upset, baffled even. It’s the worst betrayal we’ve had from any government, because in opposition they criticised Labour for not doing enough and they built us up to expect that they were going to address our situation and offer us substantial support and closure.”

More than 4,500 people with haemophilia were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

So far, an estimated 2,007 of them have died as a result.

An independent public inquiry, set up in 2007 by Lord (Alf) Morris, president of the Haemophilia Society, heard that health warnings were ignored at the time and crucial government documents were destroyed.

But the inquiry had no judicial powers and successive governments have refused to stage a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the scandal.

Nevertheless, campaigners’ hopes had been raised by the current government which met them and seemed to listen to their views on what would constitute a fair settlement.

The Government began a review late last year, the findings of which were announced in January.

Lord Morris said that the government review would not bring closure to the victims of the disaster and their families.

Speaking in the Lords, he appealed to the Government to meet the haemophilia community and listen again to its plea for a response that is more in keeping with the scale of the disaster.

Chris James, Chief Executive of the Haemophilia Society, said that some campaigners were talking about challenging the Government in court. But he said that it was too early to know whether that would be a viable option.

Sunil Peck