A UK government offer of £15,000 compensation to some victims of the infected blood scandal has been described as a “kick in the teeth” by one of those affected.
Under changes to a multi-billion-pound compensation scheme announced by the government, victims of the infected blood scandal can receive support for life. Those who were used for research without their knowledge will also be eligible for an extra £10,000, with a higher award of £15,000 for those who underwent treatment as children at the Lord Mayor Treloar College in Alton, Hampshire.
Richard Warwick, who was infected with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C after receiving blood products at the school, a specialist institution for children with haemophilia, as part of medical treatment, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the £15,000 figure was “derisory” and the government “seemed to have plucked [the amount] out of the air”.
But the paymaster general, Nick Thomas-Symonds, told Today that the £15,000 was a small part of the total settlement, “an additional point that is being added to the comprehensive compensation package”.
The Cabinet Office said the awards of £10,000 and £15,000 were specifically made by Sir Robert Francis in his recommendations to government and that ministers had agreed to pay these exact amounts – in addition to all the other payments these individuals would be entitled to.
Warwick said: “It’s insulting not only to the children that managed to live through what was done to them at the school, but also to the parents of the children that died – you know, there’s young teenagers – and the wider families. How they’ve come up with this figure is beyond comprehension, to be honest.”
Asked by the PA news agency whether survivors would ask for the figure to be reviewed, Warwick said they would consider taking legal advice.
Pupils at Treloar’s in the 1970s and 80s were treated for haemophilia using plasma blood products infected with HIV and hepatitis, and NHS clinicians continued with treatments to further their medical research despite knowing the dangers, the infected blood inquiry found.
Payouts under the scheme will start by the end of the year for survivors, and by next year for people affected such as family members, under a second set of regulations.
Thomas-Symonds told Today that no amount of money could ever make up for what happened to the contaminated blood victims. What the children went through at Treloar’s, where they were “subjected to unethical, appalling medical research”, was an “egregious breach of trust”, he said.
“Somebody with haemophilia who was then infected as a consequence of these appalling – whether it’s blood products, blood transfusions – with hepatitis B and HIV, could receive an award of up to £2.8m,” he said. He added that the £15,000 was a specific recognition on the issue of unethical medical research.
Claims for those who have already died as a result of the infected blood scandal – there are more than 3,000 – can be made through their estate. Support scheme payments, including for bereaved partners, would continue for life as part of the plan, the government said, as it announced it had accepted the “majority” of recommendations from an independent review.
The total estimate of the cost of the infected blood scandal compensation would be set out in the budget red book, Thomas-Symonds told Times Radio. He did not put a figure on the total cost but said more than £1bn had already been paid out. “The total estimate will be set out in the budget red book because there is still work to do on that,” he said.
More people may come forward to apply for compensation as a result of increased publicity from announcements such as the latest one, he said, which made costs a moving picture. The government would do “what it takes to deliver justice” for infected blood victims, he added.
People – including those claiming for victims who have died – would start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of this year, while for others affected by the scandal, payments would begin in 2025, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.
It comes after the senior barrister and interim chair of the compensation authority, Sir Robert Francis KC, made 74 proposals to address concerns with the current compensation plans. These included an enhanced award for those involved in a “particularly egregious” case of unethical testing at the Treloar school and an increase in the “social impact” payment for some of those affected.
