A government offer of £15,000 in compensation to some victims of the contaminated blood scandal has been described as a “kick in the face” by one victim.
Under changes to a multibillion-pound compensation scheme announced by the government, victims of the contaminated blood scandal could receive lifelong support. Those 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 Lord Mayor Treloar College in Alton, Hampshire.
Richard Warwick, who was infected with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C After receiving blood products at school, a specialist institution for children with haemophilia as part of medical treatment told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the £15,000 figure was “ridiculous” and that the government “seemed to have plucked (the amount) out of thin air”.
“Also, it’s not just insulting to the children who survived what was done to them at school, but also to the parents of the children who died – you know, they’re young teenagers – and the wider families.
“How they arrived at this number is, frankly, incomprehensible.”
Asked whether survivors would consider asking for the figure to be reviewed, Warwick told the PA news agency: “We will consider taking legal advice.”
The Infected Blood Inquiry found that pupils at Treloar in the 1970s and 1980s were treated for haemophilia with plasma blood products infected with HIV and hepatitis. NHS clinical staff continued the treatments to continue their medical research, despite knowing the dangers.
Benefits under the scheme will begin at the end of this year for survivors and next year for those affected, such as family members, under a second set of rules.
Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds said today that no amount of money could ever make up for what happened to victims of contaminated blood. What the children endured at Treloar’s, where they were “subjected to unethical, appalling medical research”, was a “disgraceful breach of trust”, he told the Today programme.
Some have expressed disappointment at the £15,000. But Thomas-Symonds said it was a small part of the total settlement, “an extra point that is added to the extensive compensation package”.
“A person with haemophilia who is subsequently infected with hepatitis B and HIV as a result of these horrific acts – whether involving blood products or blood transfusions – could receive up to £2.8 million in compensation,” he said.
The £15,000 was a specific recognition of the issue of unethical medical research, he added.
Claims for those who have already died as a result of the tainted blood scandal, of whom there are more than 3,000, can be made through their estates. Support scheme payments – including for survivors – 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 full estimate of the cost of compensation for the contaminated blood scandal would be set out in the budget red book, Thomas-Symonds told Times Radio. He did not give a figure for the total cost, but said more than £1bn had already been paid out.
“The total estimate will be recorded in the red budget book, because there is still work to be done there,” he said.
More people could come forward to claim compensation because of the increased publicity from announcements like the latest, he said, making the cost a moving picture. The government would do “whatever it takes to bring justice” to victims of infected blood, he added.
People – including those making claims for deceased people – would start receiving payments under the new framework from the end of this year, while payments for others affected by the scandal would begin in 2025, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.
It comes after senior lawyer and interim chairman of the Compensation Authority, Sir Robert Francis KC, set out 74 proposals to address concerns about the current compensation plans. These include an increased award for those involved in a “particularly egregious” case of unethical testing at Treloar school and an increase in the “social impact” payment for some of those affected.