Up to 140,000 relatives in blood scandal can demand compensation

Getty Images of two women standing outside Westminster building, publishing the final report on the infectious blood inquiry in May 2020. They both wore white T-shirts with slogan-contaminated blood" Written in red ink. The woman on the right is wearing dark sunglasses and holding her face to her mouth.

As many as 140,000 dead parents, children and siblings of infected blood scandal victims can demand compensation under new law proposed by parliament.

It is believed that in the 1970s and 1980s, 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis with contaminated blood products.

The new law will allow relatives of infected people to make an impact on their lives by themselves.

In May 2024, an annoying report found that authorities covered up the scandal and exposed unacceptable risks to victims.

Prime Minister Rachel Reeves said in his fall budget that £11.8 billion of compensation has been set aside, the largest payment of similarity in NHS history.

The scheme is being introduced in phases.

Legislation was passed last summer to compensate individuals who have HIV and hepatitis B or C due to NHS treatment.

The new law will extend these payments to parents, partners, children, siblings and some caregivers of the infected.

The amount of final expenditure depends on the individual situation.

Draft Documents Published last year It is recommended that a parent who has lost child C is expected to receive about £85,000, while siblings can expect about £30,000.

The number of relatives and caregivers who may apply for compensation is extremely uncertain, partly due to the length of time that has passed since the scandal first appeared in the 1980s.

Internal government estimates suggest that between 24,000 and 140,000 affected people may be claimed.

A van parked outside a building in Westminster, and the final report of the infected blood query was published in May 2024.

Getty image of a car parked outside in May 2020 in infected blood inquiry. "The government killed our children" There is also a picture of a little boy. — A van parked outside a building in Westminster, and the final report of the infected blood query was published in May 2024.

Cabinet Office Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the government is determined to provide justice for the victims of the scandal.

“I know the scale of the suffering people have endured it,” he said.

“These new laws are crucial to providing compensation to those who are doing this big, often suffering so much when caring for loved ones who are infected with life-changing diseases.”

The £11.8 billion allocated by ministers is intended to make up for the period until the next election expires in 2029, but it may increase if large numbers come forward.

If additional evidence is provided, the new law will also allow some infected people to request additional payments.

For example, those who can prove themselves to be victims of immoral research can receive an additional £10,000.

People with hemophilia with blood disorders who suffer from HIV or hepatitis C while they are at Treloar schools in Hampshire will receive £15,000.

The draft law must be debated and approved before the passage of the two parliament buildings, which the government expects to be achieved by the end of March.

Groups representing victims and their families have expressed concern about the time it took for the program to start operations.

So far, the Infected Blood Compensation Agency (IBCA), which manages payments, has invited 113 infected people to claim claims and has offered 23 compensation items.

Des Collins, an attorney who advises thousands of families, said the program cannot respond to the number of applications processed, warning them that “many people may die” while they wait.

IBCA said it was “starting” due to the complexity of some situations, but guaranteed that the process will accelerate from April this year.