Victims were betrayed over decades by successive governments, the NHS and the medical profession, the Infected Blood Inquiry has concluded
Patients were knowingly exposed to unacceptable risks of infection from contaminated blood products while children and adults were used as human guinea pigs, the inquiry found Thousands of people died in the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history because of a cover-up by politicians, medics and health officials over more than 40 years, an
Some people treated with blood products, including children, were further betrayed by being “objects of research”, used in medical trials without their knowledge or informed consent. Sir Brian said the reaction of successive governments, the NHS and the medical profession only compounded the damage caused.
“People who survived have been robbed of years of healthy life and the hopes and aspirations that others take for granted. The lives of those around them – partners, family, children – have also been fundamentally changed,” he said.The final report has been seven years in the making and runs to more than 2,500 pages across seven volumes.
These harms done to people infected and affected were compounded by the response to the infections, including repeated and ongoing failures by governments and the NHS to acknowledge that patients should not have been infected. Public inquiries are prohibited from making any recommendations about prosecutions but other countries affected by the scandal have seen ministers brought before the courts.Sir Brian said: “In families across the UK, people were treated by the NHS and over 30,000 were given infections which were life shattering. 3,000 people have already died and that number is climbing week by week. Lives, dreams, friendships, finances were destroyed.
The Treasury has reportedly already set aside a figure of at least £10bn for the compensation package, which is expected to be backed by Labour. It will include not only those infected with contaminated blood but also people affected such as siblings, children and parents.
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