The government has said the first victims of the infected blood scandal will receive final compensation payments this week. Ten people have been offered a settlement worth over £13m in total, with thousands more applications due to be processed from January. More than 30,000 people contracted HIV and hepatitis from contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 80s. In May 2024, a damning report found the authorities covered up the scandal and exposed victims to unacceptable risks.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in the October budget that £11.8bn had been set aside to compensate victims, in what is thought will be be the largest payment of its kind in NHS history. Around 4,000 survivors and bereaved partners have already received a series of interim payments worth up to £310,000 each. A new organisation, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, has been set up to administer final payouts to those infected and their families. The government has said the first few victims have now accepted offers and are due to receive the money in the coming days. The individuals, whose identities are being kept private, were infected with potentially deadly viruses after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion, or a treatment for haemophilia or a similar blood disorder.Another 25 people have been invited to make their claim for final compensation and are expected to receive offers shortly.Cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, said “no amount of compensation” could fully address the suffering as a result of this scandal. “I hope this shows that we are doing everything possible to deliver significant compensation to people infected and affected,” he added.”After so many years of injustice, I hope that this brings some reassurance to a community who have suffered immeasurably that action is being taken.”The government ha …
