Latest news with #SirBrianLangstaff
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Contaminated blood victims suffering further because of compensation delays, finds report
CONTAMINATED blood victims are enduring further suffering because of compensation delays, a report has found. Sir Brian Langstaff — who last year called the NHS scandal the worst medical cover-up in British history — now says help for patients and their families has been 'profoundly unsatisfactory'. More than 30,000 people were infected with viruses such as HIV and hepatitis after clinics used high-risk blood donors in the 1970s and '80s. Ministers last year set up an £11.8billion fund but so far just £300million has been paid out. Campaigners estimate 100 people have died waiting since Sir Brian's 2024 report. Yesterday, Sir Brian, chair of the official Infected Blood Inquiry, blasted: 'I did not expect that the inquiry would have to issue a further report, because I hoped — indeed, expected — there would be no need for one.' He said: 'The UK Government has known for years that compensation was inevitable, and identified many who should have it. "But only 460 have so far received compensation and many more have not even been allowed to start the process.' He found the Infected Blood Compensation Authority set up its scheme without working directly with victims. And he added: 'For decades, people who suffered because of infected blood have not been listened to. "Once again, decisions are being made behind closed doors, leading to obvious injustice. 'It's not too late to get this right. 'Seismic' moment as infected blood scandal report is published "We are calling for compensation to be made faster and, more than that, fairer.' Richard Angell, of charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said: 'Those impacted by this tragedy have endured unimaginable suffering.' Kate Burt, from the Haemophilia Society, added: 'This failure is exhausting, damaging and is stripping this community of its dignity.' The Government said: 'We are taking action to enable a quicker compensation process.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Infected blood scandal victims ‘are being failed again'
Infected blood victims are being failed by the compensation scheme set up in the wake of the scandal, an inquiry has found. An additional report from the Infected Blood Inquiry was published on Wednesday following 'grave concerns' from Sir Brian Langstaff, the inquiry chairman, about the speed and scope of the compensation scheme being run by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). More than 3,000 people are thought to have died as a result of NHS doctors using contaminated blood transfusions and blood products in the 1970s and 80s, infecting thousands of people with HIV and hepatitis. The Government has allocated £11.8 billion for compensation but only £326 million – around 3 per cent – has so far been paid. The Haemophilia Society said that victims of the scandal, dubbed the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, had been 'stripped of their dignity'. Kate Burt, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: 'The Government's failure to listen to those at the heart of the contaminated blood scandal has shamefully been exposed by the Infected Blood Inquiry yet again. 'This failure is exhausting, damaging and is stripping this community of its dignity.' Victims have called for greater transparency on how the IBCA functions as well as greater involvement in the process itself. 'Government must take urgent action to put this right by valuing those impacted by this scandal through a fair and fast compensation settlement,' said Ms Burt. 'Only then can the infected blood community move on from the past and finally focus on what remains of their future.' Rachel Halford, chief executive of the Hepatitis C trust, said: 'The people impacted by the infected blood scandal have been failed for 50 years; the Government's refusal to act swiftly and collaboratively in designing the infected blood compensation system failed them yet again. 'They have delayed every action and routinely ignored the voice of the community; as a result, we have a poorly designed compensation scheme that does not reflect the harm done to thousands of people affected.' She added: 'This report should never have been needed. But we hope today can mark a turning point in this terrible scandal.' The additional report also makes recommendations to alter the current compensation scheme, including increasing the amount for victims who were infected as a consequence of unethical research. Some doctors around the UK ran clinical trials on haemophiliac children without their permission or the permission of their parents in the 1980s. Around 1,250 people in the UK, including 380 children, with bleeding disorders contracted HIV and hepatitis C as a result of the medicines given to them by their doctors at NHS clinics. Children who were used as 'human guinea pigs' by NHS doctors and infected with HIV and hepatitis are currently only entitled to £10,000 added damages for being enrolled on dangerous clinical trials without their consent or that of their parents. This is in addition to the rest of their compensation claim which can total £2.7million for the most severe cases. The inquiry initially recommended £10,000 for the victims of unethical treatment, and £15,000 for boys at Treloar's School in Hampshire, where the maltreatment was particularly bad. More than 80 pupils at the school died after contracting HIV and hepatitis C from infected blood products during their time at the school and only 30 out of 122 boys treated for haemophilia at the school are still alive. Victims and lawyers have criticised the current offered amounts as being a 'derisory token gesture'. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the paymaster general, said in May that the unethical research performed on NHS patients by doctors 'is a disgrace and an absolute stain on our country'. The latest report recommends ministers reevaluate this level and increase the figure. Des Collins, a lawyer who represents 1,500 victims, believes the value should be £250,000 for those involved in unethical trials. 'I think it should be even higher,' Mr Collins told The Telegraph. 'It should reflect what a jury award would be in these circumstances and I can't imagine them awarding less than £250,000.' Former Treloar's pupils themselves have called for at least a 10-fold increase in compensation for being treated as guinea pigs in unethical research projects. The ex-pupils want their current £15,000 amount of compensation for unethical research to be increased to £150,000. Gary Webster, a former pupil at Treloar's said, 'We are pleased that Sir Brian has asked Nick Thomas-Symonds to reconsider the tokenistic amount for unethical research. 'We honestly believe that both amounts should be increased by a factor of 10. This experimentation went on for years and years for all haemophiliacs in the UK but especially at Treloar's.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Failures in compensation scheme for infected blood laid bare in report
The compensation scheme for the infected blood scandal has 'perpetuated' the harm of victims with key decisions about the scheme made 'behind closed doors', according to a report. The Infected Blood Inquiry warned that there has been a 'repetition of the mistakes of the past' and that people have been 'harmed yet further' since the scheme was established. Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the probe, said that the number of people who have been compensated to date is 'profoundly unsatisfactory' as he called for 'faster and fairer' compensation for victims. The latest report of the inquiry concludes: – There was a 'missed opportunity' to consult with people impacted by the scandal. – There has been a 'repetition of mistakes in the past' in the way both the Conservative and Labour governments have responded. – Trust in the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has been 'lost' by many members of the infected blood community. – People impacted by the scandal have expressed a 'grave concern' over the delay in compensation and a 'lack' of clear timescales as to when it will be delivered. – The report raises concerns about how the regulations underpinning the compensation authority have created a 'liability window' which mean people infected with HIV with contaminated blood or blood products before 1982 will not be compensated which is 'illogical and profoundly unjust'. – The impacts of a hepatitis infection are not being 'fully recognised' in the compensation scheme, including the impact of early treatment for the virus which has been linked to severe side effects. Campaign group Tainted Blood has estimated that at least 100 people have died while waiting for compensation since the main report was published last year. Writing in the 210-page report, Sir Brian said: 'Trust has not yet been regained but instead has been further damaged and that people have been harmed yet further by the way in which they have been treated.' He said that he felt the need to hold special hearings of the inquiry earlier this year due to 'increasingly desperate' concerns raised to him about the compensation scheme, including some saying that decisions were being made 'behind closed doors'. Sir Brian added: 'Trust in government has only a tenuous hold; it was weakened further by the failures recounted here, to give people the dignity and the respect they deserve.' He went on in a statement: 'For decades people who suffered because of infected blood have not been listened to. 'Once again decisions have been made behind closed doors leading to obvious injustices. 'The UK Government has known for years that compensation for thousands of people was inevitable and had identified many of those who should have it – but only 460 have received compensation so far and many, many more have not even been allowed to begin the process. 'It is not too late to get this right. We are calling for compensation to be faster, and more than that, fairer.' Speaking to people impacted by the scandal at an event in central London, Sir Brian said that 'delay creates an injustice all of its own' as he highlighted 'injustices' in the compensation scheme. He described how one man spent his dying days applying for compensation but died before he received it. 'One man spent his last days applying for compensation but died before the process was complete. 'His family do not know when they will receive the recognition that should have been his. 'A mother in her 80s, whose two sons and husband were infected at the same hospital, died before she was even allowed to start the process. 'Many, many fear they will not live to see the recognition which compensation brings.' The report details how another victim described how 'it feels as if we are waiting to die, in limbo, unable to make any progress in our lives'. He described how victims of the scandal told him how the compensation scheme had left them feeling 'desperate and powerless'. Sir Brian highlighted how his first report on compensation was published in 2023 yet some affected people have been told that they may not receive compensation until 2029. He said that it was 'inexplicable' and 'unthinkable' for the compensation scheme to be devised without input from the infected blood community. Sir Brian said that 'time is not on anyone's side' as he made a series of recommendations to improve the compensation scheme. 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. And more than 3,000 people have died as a result, and survivors are living with life-long health implications. The latest report into the scandal states that 'the impacts of infection with hepatitis are not being fully recognised (or applied) in the scheme as it stands'. Glenn Wilkinson, from the Contaminated Blood Campaign, told the PA news agency: 'It's not about the speed of compensation, it's about the adequacy of compensation. 'What's the point in delivering a compensation scheme quickly if it's going to fail the majority of people? 'As it stands, those in the hepatitis C community are going to be compensated at the very least 50% less compared to those with HIV when the death toll within the hepatitis C community is far greater than that of the HIV community. There's no justice to this.' He said that people with hepatitis C feel forced to stay on support schemes as a result of the current compensation scheme which mean they are 'effectively tied to our abuser for the rest of our lives'. The latest report states: 'Anyone who has read the Inquiry Report of May 2024 will recognise that there has been a repetition of the mistakes of the past in the way in which government (both before and after the general election) has responded. 'The harm which all this has caused is evident in everything that has been said by people infected and affected.' It adds: 'Although efforts have rightly been made by IBCA to meet and communicate with people infected and affected, what is fundamentally lacking is a formal, significant and influential role for people infected or affected within IBCA. 'Such a lack of involvement both exacerbates mistrust in IBCA and perpetuates the harm which people have suffered over decades.' 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 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'. A Government spokesperson said: 'This additional report reflects the unprecedented nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the thoroughness of the Inquiry's investigation. 'We are grateful to the Inquiry for its ongoing work. We will now consider all of its recommendations. 'Over £300 million has been paid to victims since the compensation scheme opened last October and we are taking action to enable a quicker compensation process.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Infected blood scandal compensation failings led to ‘obvious injustices'
A report by Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the infected blood inquiry, concluded that the government 's handling of compensation has caused victims "new and different psychological pain" and rendered its apology meaningless. The report criticised the slow pace of compensation, revealing that only 460 out of thousands affected have received payments. Sir Brian highlighted that compensation decisions were made "behind closed doors" and the scheme was rushed, lacking essential expertise and direct involvement from those affected. Victims described feeling profound despair, exhaustion, and a sense of being "in limbo", fearing they may die before receiving their rightful compensation. The inquiry recommended speeding up the compensation process, broadening access for all affected individuals, and ensuring their central involvement in the scheme's operation.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Infected blood victims facing ‘new layer of psychological pain' amid compensation failings, damning report finds
Government failings over the compensation offered to victims of the infected blood scandal has left them facing a 'new and different layer of psychological pain', a damning report has concluded. A report into the compensation of victims and others affected by the scandal found that they have been ignored, branding the British state's apology meaningless unless they are given greater involvement. Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the official inquiry into the infected blood scandal, said: 'Decisions have been made behind closed doors leading to obvious injustices.' Publishing a report into failings in the government's compensation for victims, Sir Brian said: 'The government has known for years that compensation for thousands of people was inevitable and had identified many of those who should have had it. 'But only 460 have received compensation so far and many, many more have not even been allowed to begin the process.' He called for the compensation scheme to be sped up, with greater access offered to those affected by the scandal. In a devastating piece of evidence, which Sir Brian concluded was 'fully justified', the infected blood inquiry was told how victims have faced 'a new and different layer of psychological pain'. Andrew Evans, from the campaign group Tainted Blood and who was infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products during treatment for haemophilia as a child, repeated the testimony of another who said it had been 'another layer I have had to endure, adapt to and fight every day to not let it take over my life'. They said: 'I have spent more than 30 years fighting trauma, exclusion and the constant struggle to keep my life together. 'I have fought every day to keep the darkest thoughts from consuming me. What has happened since the compensation scheme was announced has pushed that fight to its absolute limit and now I am utterly exhausted… the anguish is beyond words.' Mr Evans said victims have felt 'nothing but despair' and have 'lost all hope of ever fetting justice'. Victims described being 'left feeling age and illness catching up with us' while waiting for compensation, adding that 'there is no rest, there is no peace'. Others said it 'feels as if we are waiting to die, in limbo, unable to make any progress in our lives and fearing as our health declines we may not ever get the compensation awards we deserve'. And, speaking to The Independent, Jackie Wrixton said that she hoped the report would force the government to 'pull their finger out' and speed up the compensation, given the high rate of deaths among those infected. The 63-year-old was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2010 after four decades of ill health, after receiving a blood transfusion following childbirth in 1983. 'The euphoria we had a year ago has dissipated and now we're having to demonstrate,' she said. 'The recommendations are really powerful but they just don't seem to have the teeth we need to get the government to act. 'We have all of the platitude but none of the action. They say they're working at pace, it's just pulled and drawn out at every opportunity by every MP, but we are dying at pace. We are still not getting the coverage we need to get the public to understand what's happening.' Of the tens of thousands the inquiry believed were infected, and the many more affected by the scandal, just 460 have so far received compensation - totalling £326m. Some 616 have received an offer of compensation, the latest figures show, while 2,043 have been asked to start compensation claims. The report set out a series of recommendations to speed up compensation and improve fairness, which included: Allowing infected and affected people to apply for compensation, rather than having to wait to be asked. Progressing applications from those move seriously ill, who are older or who have not received compensation faster. End the injustice of people infected with HIV before 1982 being excluded from compensation. Drop unrealistic evidence requirements for those who suffered severe psychological harm. Rishi Sunak last May promised the government 'will pay comprehensive compensation to those infected and affected by this scandal… whatever it costs'. But, having set out little detail of how the compensation scheme would work, the former PM called a general election two days later. The report found that the snap general election meant the establishment of the compensation scheme was rushed to meet an August deadline. The infected blood inquiry had recommended that there should be two panels advising the chair and board of the compensation scheme, one of medical experts and one of lawyers. But the government appointed an expert group which the inquiry deemed did not contain 'the full range of expertise recommended', with no psychological expertise, no clinician specialising in bleeding disorders and no transfusion specialist. The inquiry also criticised the group for being unable to meet with infected and affected people. The inquiry's report on Wednesday highlighted that people set to benefit from the compensation scheme should have had a central role in its decision-making and operation. But the day after it was announced, it was revealed the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) had been established with no direct involvement from those affected. The report highlighted that the government has apologised on behalf of the British state for the infected blood treatment disaster. 'That apology will only be meaningful if the government demonstrates it is willing to listen to people, sooner rather than later, and to act when it has made a mistake,' it found. It added: 'Truly involving people infected and affected in how the state recognises their losses would start to turn the page on the past.'
