logo
Infected blood report to set out impact of compensation delays

Infected blood report to set out impact of compensation delays

Delays to compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal have had 'devastating' impacts, a leading charity has said as the probe into the disaster prepares to publish a special report on the impact.
Victims of the scandal, which has been dubbed the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, have described their 'frustration' with waiting.
A report into the timeliness of compensation for those infected and affected is due to be published on Wednesday, following additional hearings of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
On Sunday the Cabinet Office announced that it was 'unlocking administrative barriers' to help the compensation body 'speed up payments to victims'.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the new Inquiry report, Kate Burt, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: 'Delays and uncertainty about compensation continue to have a devastating mental and physical impact on the infected blood community.
'We hope the Infected Blood Inquiry's report on the government's handling of compensation will help to resolve remaining concerns about the scheme as well as maintain pressure to deliver fair payments as quickly as possible.'
Brendan West, who was given infected blood in the 1970s, told the PA news agency that many members of the infected blood community felt 'frustrated' while waiting to be called forward for compensation.
The former soldier lost his leg in 1979 and was given blood transfusions while at a British military hospital in Germany where his leg was amputated. Four decades later, he discovered that the blood he was given was infected with Hepatitis C.
The 64-year-old from Farnborough, Hampshire, now suffers from liver cirrhosis which causes exhaustion.
He said he hoped the Government will take 'fair and informed action' after the report is published.
'I'm fortunate enough to now in the process of going through compensation,' he said.
'I have no idea when I will be made an offer but at the moment I think I am being treated fairly.'
He added: 'As you're aware people were very frustrated with waiting but it seems to me that the IBCA have bought on a load more staff and they have been inviting people to apply for compensation in greater numbers.
'There is still a frustration from a lot of the community that they're having to wait, particularly those that are affected rather than infected.
'I hope the Government will look at the report recommendations and take fair and informed action on them.
'I think there will be huge backlash if those recommendations are either ignored or discarded.'
We've published our latest compensation figures today – these are accurate as of 1 July 2025.
We will continue to publish updated figures every two weeks.
Click the link to see the latest figures: https://t.co/CISQSHwRQ0 pic.twitter.com/KRWbpXunBg
— Infected Blood Compensation Authority (@IBCA_UK) July 3, 2025
More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s.
More than 3,000 people have died as a result, and survivors are living with life-long health implications.
The Infected Blood Inquiry published its main report on the scandal in May last year, and a compensation scheme was announced a day later.
But in the same week a general election was called and officials from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) have described how in the early days of the organisation it consisted of two men, a laptop and a phone.
Some £11.8 billion has been allocated to compensate victims, administered by the IBCA.
As of July 1, some 2,043 people have been asked to make a claim, and 460 people have had their compensation paid totalling more than £326 million, according to IBCA figures.
On Sunday, the Cabinet Office said that it will 'reduce the administration and process delays' victims are facing, meaning the IBCA will 'be able to deliver services quickly, and require different supporting information from claimants'.
Des Collins, senior partner at Collins Solicitors and adviser to 1,500 victims of the scandal, said: 'In our view there has already been some recent progress in the number of infected people being invited to apply for compensation.
'However it remains the case that those affected – by virtue of the fact they lost husbands, fathers, sons and family members to infected blood/blood products – are still in the dark about the route to compensation for them.
'There has been absolutely no guidance on timeframes for when they will be invited to apply – these members of the community deserve better.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Public sector productivity below pre-Covid levels amid strike chaos
Public sector productivity below pre-Covid levels amid strike chaos

Telegraph

time3 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Public sector productivity below pre-Covid levels amid strike chaos

Productivity rates among NHS workers and other public sector employees are struggling to return to pre-Covid levels as doctors strike over pay. New analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that total public sector productivity last year was 4.2pc lower than before the 2020 pandemic when the UK went into lockdown. Productivity rates in the public sector, which measures the output of workers in healthcare, education, the military and police, slumped during the Covid lockdowns and has never recovered to the same level. Most of the productivity in the public sector comes from NHS, and ongoing strike chaos over the past two years has weighed on the figures. Doctors walked out for a fourth day on Monday, adding further disruption to services. They are holding five days of industrial action over pay, the 12th such strike since 2023. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has called on the NHS to boost its performance by cutting waiting times for crucial services. ONS figures show flickers of progress, with healthcare productivity growing 2.7pc in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period a year earlier. Productivity overall for the public sector, including teachers and the police, rose 1pc over the same period. It marked the third consecutive quarter of rising productivity for the healthcare sector. But while rates are on the rise, NHS productivity remains 8.8pc lower than before the pandemic, the ONS said. The Government and British Medical Association remain locked in a stand-off over wages after both sides failed to agree to a pay settlement last week. Meanwhile nurses are to reject the Government's pay offer, raising the prospect of further strikes across the NHS. The Royal College of Nursing has been holding a preliminary vote on a 3.6pc pay increase offer, and the results are expected later this week. The Government has come head-to-head with unions over pay rises. In documents published last autumn alongside the Budget, the Treasury outlined a stricter approach to future public sector pay deals, tying increases to improvements in productivity. 'Over the medium-term, above inflation pay awards are only affordable if they can be funded from improved productivity,' it said. Revised ONS figures also showed productivity in public services was better than the previously estimated in 2024. Officials had initially said there was a decline of 0.3 pc, but changed their view to an increase of 0.1pc. The ONS said the upward revision was because of the use of new source data and changes to healthcare output.

Gender row nurse ‘wanted to post bacon through mosque letterbox', tribunal told
Gender row nurse ‘wanted to post bacon through mosque letterbox', tribunal told

The Independent

time4 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Gender row nurse ‘wanted to post bacon through mosque letterbox', tribunal told

A gender critical nurse allegedly told colleagues that she 'wanted to post bacon through the letterbox of a mosque', a tribunal has heard. Nurse Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about ' patient care '. Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. On Monday, the tribunal also heard that Ms Peggie's legal team were contacted at the weekend by a witness who shared her objections over sharing a changing room with Dr Upton and 'found the courage to come forward'. The team had also been contacted by another potential witness. Ms Peggie's barrister, Naomi Cunningham, described the case as 'extraordinary', and 'the first case in which the practical working out of the implications of For Women Scotland judgment will have to be addressed in relation to single-sex spaces'. She said that the way Ms Peggie had been treated by NHS Fife had 'frightened off' other potential witnesses who shared her views, and that the nurse 'has been the only one to find the courage to speak up' until a new witness came forward. Ms Cunningham said: 'The truth is, we have known of many others. Ms Peggie's evidence is … lots of people agree. The difficulty is persuading anyone to come forward and tell the tribunal. That difficulty is because of the price of speaking up on these issues in NHS Fife.' She added: 'To this point she has been the single individual; there have been many, but she has been the only one to find the courage to speak up.' On Monday, emergency nurse practitioner Fiona Wishart, who has worked for NHS Fife for 41 years, told the tribunal she heard Ms Peggie making 'derogatory' remarks about Dr Upton at a lunch on September 4 2023, and making 'offensive' comments about a mosque being built in the town, the tribunal heard. Ms Wishart said: 'I was at a lunch with fellow colleagues. Sandie had made remarks about Beth at the lunch, derogatory remarks.' She said she had forgotten details but was told the comments were 'weirdo', 'freak' and 'it', although she also said those terms were not used at the lunch, the tribunal heard. Ms Wishart said: 'I've heard her make derogatory remarks regarding people of other ethnic origins and people of other sexual orientations… referring to people as 'immigrants who need to go back to their own country', and 'come over here to steal our jobs'. 'These are opinions that don't align with mine.' Ms Wishart said that at the same lunch, Ms Peggie had commented on a new mosque being built in Fife, and 'made reference to the fact she had a good mind to post bacon through their letterbox', the tribunal heard. Ms Wishart added: 'I specifically remember it because I found it offensive.' Counsel for both respondents, Jane Russell KC, said: 'When she said that, how did others respond?' Ms Wishart said: 'I can't remember, but she made derogatory remarks about Beth, and my colleague that was at the lunch, Lindsey Nicoll, responded, but I cant remember what she said.' Ms Russell asked: 'Did it go beyond 'weirdo', 'freak', and 'it'?' The witness said: 'No, I don't think so.' The tribunal continues.

CHRISTINA McANEA: 'Workers at private firms delivering NHS services rarely get a good deal'
CHRISTINA McANEA: 'Workers at private firms delivering NHS services rarely get a good deal'

Daily Mirror

time35 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

CHRISTINA McANEA: 'Workers at private firms delivering NHS services rarely get a good deal'

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea writes for The Mirror on private firms delivering NHS services, saying: 'No one should be making a profit from running public services' Since Labour came to power, things are looking up for the NHS. We've seen record investment and waiting times falling. ‌ But this progress risks being derailed. The government plans to transfer thousands of low-paid health workers out of the NHS. Ministers are allowing hospital bosses to set up their own companies to save cash. ‌ Before the election, Labour promised to bring workers on private contracts back into public services. But in power, ministers are doing the opposite. Plans to create a company in Dorset are underway. But more than a thousand cleaners, porters and caterers at local hospitals say they want to stay in the NHS. ‌ Hospital managers have said there'll be no impact on patients. Nor on staff pay, pensions or jobs. But Unison thinks otherwise. Ten years ago, Tory ministers had the same terrible idea. Health workers didn't like it then. And they don't like it now. The NHS needs help to get back on its feet, recover from the pandemic and years of Tory underfunding. No one should be making a profit from running public services. Workers at private firms delivering NHS services rarely get a good deal. ‌ I recently met a group of cleaners from east Lancashire working for contracting giant Mitie in health centres. The company regularly gets their pay wrong. The cleaners often receive less than they should, leaving them struggling. To make matters worse, Mitie refuses to pay staff bonuses given to other NHS workers during Covid. So far, the cleaners have taken eight days of strike action. But the firm still refuses to act. ‌ One in five payslips is incorrect. That's unacceptable. Company execs would be fuming if their wages were regularly wrong and they were denied bonuses. The staff take real pride in their jobs. But what really grates is that last year Mitie boss Phil Bentley took home £14.7m. And the firm's profits were £234m. Unison's calculated that giving staff the £1,655 Covid bonus would cost Mitie £70,000. Mr Bentley earns that in just ten hours. Neighbourhood health centres, like the ones the Mitie workers clean will be at the heart of the government's ten-year plan. This promises a revitalised NHS that works for patients. The plans mustn't be blown off course by unnecessary and unpopular privatisation, which doesn't work. ‌ Finally, this week I went to Gloucester in a shower of rain to meet phlebotomists who've been on strike for 121 days. These dedicated staff specialise in taking blood from patients and want to be paid fairly. But bosses won't budge. Other hospitals have paid up. It's time NHS managers in Gloucester did the same. Millions to benefit from workers' rights reforms Millions of workers will soon benefit from what's in the employment rights bill. ‌ It will stop people on zero-hours contracts being exploited, give workers sick pay as soon as they're poorly and make it harder for bad bosses to sack staff. This is the biggest set of workplace changes in a generation. But lots of people don't know much about it. The government should be shouting it from the rooftops. Filming of frontline workers for clicks has to stop Working on the front line is tough. The likes of paramedics, police officers and firefighters see and deal with horrendous things all the time. They deserve our thanks and respect. What they don't need is people making life tougher for them. But that's what's happening. Research from my union Unison found that one in seven health workers had experienced unwanted filming or photography in the past year. Staff being filmed as they treat heart attack victims. With the footage being livestreamed or put on platforms like TikTok. Someone filmed a car crash with seriously injured people. They refused to stop and had to be escorted away by the police. This ghoulish filming for clicks has to stop. Let our dedicated public servants do their jobs. Put the phone away.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store