Findings from the infected blood inquiry say “this disaster was not an accident.”
The chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff published the report, adding that the infections happened because “those in authority did not put patient safety first.”
He says: “The response of those in authority served to compound people’s suffering.
“The government is right to accept that compensation must be paid. Now is the time for national recognition of this disaster and for proper compensation to all who have been wronged.”
The report details how UK blood services failed to ensure correct donor selection and screening of British blood donors, so as to exclude higher-risk donors.
It concludes that services continued to collect blood from prisons until 1984, despite the risks being well known.
The testing of blood for both HIV and Hepatitis C was not introduced as quickly as it could have been.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to issue an apology following the report, which will expose the scale of the failings.
It is predicted the Government’s compensation package will be more than £10bn.
It’s estimated that one person dies as a result of infected blood in the UK every four days.
Sir Brian Langstaff added that “lives, dreams, friendships, families, finances were destroyed”. He says that the contaminated blood disaster is “still happening” because patients who suffer “life shattering” infections continue to die daily.
What is the blood infection scandal?
30,000 people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C and 3,000 are believed to have died after victims were given contaminated blood and blood products which were often taken from prisoners in US jails and never screened between the 1970s and early 1990s.
This is one of the largest public inquiries ever in the UK and comes after decades of work from campaigners.
Over 370 people have given oral evidence and over 5,000 witness statements have been submitted as evidence to the inquiry with its chairman, Sir Brian Langstaff previously stating that “wrongs were done at individual, collective and systemic levels”.
The inquiry was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017.
Campaigners have hailed the publication of the report as the “end of a 40-year fight”.
Speaking to City News at a vigil in Westminster, campaigner Jo Vincent told City News says: “(I) had a blood transfusion in 1988, five weeks after I gave birth to my daughter and 27 years later I found out I had Hepatitis C.”
Ms Vincent was originally misdiagnosed by doctors. She adds: “the doctor said, ‘you’ve got to stop drinking’, I said, ‘I have stopped drinking’, and that went on for two years until they finally gave me a test for Hepatitis C.”
Government officials have already confirmed that interim payments will also be paid to the “estates of the deceased infected people who were registered with existing or former support schemes.”
Speaking at a press conference in reaction to the report, one victim said that, “Sir Brian has been very thorough and has not minced his words.”
Another added that, “Sir Brian has told the truth today and that’s what important.”
One campaigner demanded that the findings of the report are not forgotten, stating that, “we ignore the conclusions of public inquiries. That most stop today.”
Another press conference will be held at 1.30pm.
The inquiry’s chair, Sir Brian Langstaff will then give a statement without questions at 14:00 BST.
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Headline‘This disaster was not an accident’, infected blood inquiry reveals
Short Headline'Disaster was not an accident', says infected blood report
Standfirst30,000 people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C after victims were given unscreened, contaminated blood and blood products from prisoners.
Findings from the infected blood inquiry say “this disaster was not an accident.”
The chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff published the report, adding that the infections happened because “those in authority did not put patient safety first.”
He says: “The response of those in authority served to compound people’s suffering.
“The government is right to accept that compensation must be paid. Now is the time for national recognition of this disaster and for proper compensation to all who have been wronged.”
The report details how UK blood services failed to ensure correct donor selection and screening of British blood donors, so as to exclude higher-risk donors.
It concludes that services continued to collect blood from prisons until 1984, despite the risks being well known.
The testing of blood for both HIV and Hepatitis C was not introduced as quickly as it could have been.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to issue an apology following the report, which will expose the scale of the failings.
It is predicted the Government’s compensation package will be more than £10bn.
It’s estimated that one person dies as a result of infected blood in the UK every four days.
Sir Brian Langstaff added that “lives, dreams, friendships, families, finances were destroyed”. He says that the contaminated blood disaster is “still happening” because patients who suffer “life shattering” infections continue to die daily.
What is the blood infection scandal?
30,000 people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C and 3,000 are believed to have died after victims were given contaminated blood and blood products which were often taken from prisoners in US jails and never screened between the 1970s and early 1990s.
This is one of the largest public inquiries ever in the UK and comes after decades of work from campaigners.
Over 370 people have given oral evidence and over 5,000 witness statements have been submitted as evidence to the inquiry with its chairman, Sir Brian Langstaff previously stating that “wrongs were done at individual, collective and systemic levels”.
The inquiry was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017.
Campaigners have hailed the publication of the report as the “end of a 40-year fight”.
Speaking to City News at a vigil in Westminster, campaigner Jo Vincent told City News says: “(I) had a blood transfusion in 1988, five weeks after I gave birth to my daughter and 27 years later I found out I had Hepatitis C.”
Ms Vincent was originally misdiagnosed by doctors. She adds: “the doctor said, ‘you’ve got to stop drinking’, I said, ‘I have stopped drinking’, and that went on for two years until they finally gave me a test for Hepatitis C.”
Government officials have already confirmed that interim payments will also be paid to the “estates of the deceased infected people who were registered with existing or former support schemes.”
Speaking at a press conference in reaction to the report, one victim said that, “Sir Brian has been very thorough and has not minced his words.”
Another added that, “Sir Brian has told the truth today and that’s what important.”
One campaigner demanded that the findings of the report are not forgotten, stating that, “we ignore the conclusions of public inquiries. That most stop today.”
Another press conference will be held at 1.30pm.
The inquiry’s chair, Sir Brian Langstaff will then give a statement without questions at 14:00 BST.
