The infected blood scandal was “not an accident” – and its failures lie with “successive governments, the NHS, and blood services”, a public inquiry has found.
From the 1970s, 30,000 people were “knowingly” infected with either HIV or Hepatitis C because “those in authority did not put patient safety first”, the report into the inquiry said. Around 3,000 people died.
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The response of the government and NHS has “compounded” victims’ suffering, the inquiry’s chair Sir Brian Langstaff added.
The response included the “deliberate destruction of some documents” by Department of Health workers, in what Sir Brian described as a “pervasive cover-up” and “downright deception”.
Among the key findings from the report are:
Sir Brian makes 12 recommendations in his report, which include an immediate compensation scheme, memorials across the UK and at Treloar’s school, and that anyone who received a blood transfusion before 1996 should be urgently tested for Hepatitis C.
After the 2,527-page report was published on Monday, victims of the scandal spoke at a news conference in central London.
Clive Smith, of the Haemophilia Society, said the “cover-up” came as “no surprise” to him and others infected.
“We’ve known for decades. Now the country knows, the whole world knows,” he said. “This was systemic, by government, the civil service, and healthcare professionals.”
Read more:
The stories behind 100 victims
‘I gave my young son to his killers’
Infections are ‘worst thing you can imagine’
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Mr Smith added: “There are doctors out there who should have been prosecuted for gross negligence manslaughter… those people should have been in the dock.”
Reacting to the report, Jason Evans who is part of the Factor VIII campaign group, said: “Many of the politicians should hang their heads in shame… no single person has been responsible for this scandal.”
He added: “I would expect, over the coming days and weeks, for many more people to come forward and say sorry.”
And Andy Evans, representing the Tainted Blood campaigners, challenged those in authority, saying: “We know that this should never have happened. What was your part in it?”
He went on: “Justice delayed really is, in this case, justice denied.”
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