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The infected blood scandal has resurfaced after some victims were told that the Interim Compensation Payment of £100,000 due before Christmas has been put on hold. It has come to light that more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C after receiving blood products contaminated with viruses in the 70s and 80s. The government announced earlier this year that families of people who died as a result of the scandal could apply for interim compensation for the first time.
At least 10 bereaved families have been informed that their approved applications could not proceed until they submitted new paperwork. The Haemophilia Society called the situation ‘unacceptably cruel’ and has demanded an apology from the government. Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said he was disturbed that families had been given ‘conflicting’ information and officials are working to ensure that payments are processed quickly.
One victim submitted paperwork on behalf of her younger brother who was infected with HIV aged 16 and had sadly died in 1998. In writing, she was informed that her application was successful and her family would receive the interim payment by 7th December. However, on 25th November, she was sent a follow-up letter stating that the payment would not proceed until further documentation was supplied to prove she was the legal beneficiary of her brother’s will. She has expressed her shock and disbelief of how bereaved families are being treated.
Over 3,500 victims of the scandal were NHS patients, with the blood disorder haemophilia, who were infected after receiving a contaminated clotting agent. The Haemophilia Society revealed that other families had also been sent similar letters upon the approval of their successful application. The government has been accused of ‘stealthily moving the goalposts’ and adding ‘new bureaucratic burdens’ to compensation claims by five groups, including the Haemophilia Society. Conservative MP David Davis has written to the Cabinet Office on behalf of one of his constituents, urging speed and common sense in processing applications
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