Go-ahead for compensation for infected blood victims
UK MINISTERS have given the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) the power to start making payments to patients.
The Cabinet Office published a lengthy policy paper on Friday detailing the tariff-based scheme, and laid secondary legislation which sets out the criteria for the first payouts.
Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds said he was “incredibly proud” to have signed the documents which empower the IBCA, once established, to start awarding payments to victims of the infected blood scandal.
But Susan Lee, of The Hepatitis C Trust, warned of “disparities in proposed compensation for people who were given hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV”, in reference to different levels of compensation depending on which disease a patient received, which Whitehall has published.
More than 30,000 people who received NHS treatment between the 1970s and early 1990s were infected with contaminated blood, and contracted viruses.
The Cabinet Office’s paper confirmed the UK Government expects the IBCA to begin making payments by the end of this year, with payments to affected persons, including spouses, civil partners and long-term cohabitants of victims signed up for compensation, to begin in 2025.
The regulations set out patients or their representatives can receive compensation if they satisfy the IBCA they contracted hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis B, or HIV as a result of NHS or armed forces’ infected blood.
Payouts may also apply to people who contracted diseases from a victim through sexual contact in a long-term relationship, birth, or accidental needle stick injuries, but not if a patient contracted them through sharing needles while taking drugs.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Thomas-Symonds said he was “incredibly proud that the first law I have signed is the establishment of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme”.
He added: “I again pay tribute to those who have fought for far too long for justice. The time for action is long overdue.”
Ms Lee, the infected blood programme lead at the Hepatitis C Trust, said: “We welcome this legislation establishing, at long last, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. People have waited far too long for this.
“We are still examining the information... and awaiting further detail, but remain concerned by the disparities in proposed compensation for people who were given hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV. It is vital that the Government does not underestimate the catastrophic and wide-ranging impacts that hepatitis can have on people’s lives.”
The amount which a patient receives will depend on which disease or diseases they contracted.
Ms Lee said: “No amount of money can compensate for the suffering endured by this community. But without fair tariffs, many people will face even further delays to justice, and tragically more lives may be lost before justice is served.”