Infected blood scandal: victims will receive support scheme payments for life as government updates compensation plan

Those who were subjected to unethical research will get up to £15,000 extra, with Labour saying it had accepted the “majority” of recommendations from an independent review.

Infected people – both living and dead – will start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of this year, while for others affected by the scandal, payments will begin in 2025, the Cabinet Office said.

It comes after senior barrister and Infected Blood Inquiry interim chairman Sir Robert Francis KC made 75 proposals to address concerns with the current compensation plans.

Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “This is an important milestone for victims and campaigners who have waited far too long for justice.

“The Government has listened to the recommendations from Sir Robert Francis KC, heard the strong calls for change from the community and acted.

“We are going to do everything possible to deliver compensation quickly, and in many cases deliver life-changing sums to people infected and affected by this scandal.

“We know no amount of compensation can fully address the damage to people who suffered as a result of this scandal. This is why alongside the compensation, we must drive forward the wider cultural changes to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

Earlier in the year, Sir Brian Langstaff published the Inquiry’s final report on the scandal, which found it “could largely have been avoided” and there was a “pervasive” cover-up to hide the truth.

NHS patients were injected with blood and plasma from the USA, which had been donated by criminals and drug users, from the 1970s to 1990s.

More than 30,000 people contracted HIV, hepatitis or other deadly diseases as a result and are still living with the consequences to this day.

People continued to be given infected blood, even after the risks were known, and in some cases children were not even told they had contracted HIV.

One compensation recommendation which was upheld was 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.

Pupils at the college 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.

Jason Evans, director of campaign group Factor 8, said: "Today's announcement from the government is a welcome step as we move closer to final compensation payments beginning to be made.

“Having seen the issues of other government compensation schemes, the need for applicants to have access to independent legal representation was of particular importance to our community, and we are pleased that the government has accepted this.

“One of the most grim aspects of the infected blood scandal is people across the UK being subject to HIV & Hepatitis C virus infectivity trials, without their knowledge or consent, through infected blood products such as Factor VIII.

“For those subject to such horrendous behaviour, it is right for the government to acknowledge this specific aspect of the scandal through an additional compensation award.”

He added: “Compensation for those impacted by the infected blood scandal has taken far too long and too many have died waiting. Today, the picture of what compensation might look like has become clearer, and now it must be delivered.”

However, some of Sir Robert’s recommendations were rejected, including a proposal to uprate support payments beyond Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation.

The Government has not put a figure on how much the scheme might cost overall, though awards for those at the top end are likely to exceed £2.5 million.