Public Inquiry

A year on: Government must honour Infected Blood Inquiry’s recommendations

Written by Jessica Bomford, May 20, 2025

A year after the Infected Blood Inquiry published its damning report, campaigners gathered in Westminster to urge the government to look again at its compensation scheme.

To mark the first anniversary of the inquiry’s report, a delegation of campaign groups, including the Haemophilia Society and MPs handed in a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, calling on him to address some significant flaws in the government’s Infected Blood Compensation Scheme to ensure it delivers fair compensation for everyone.

A crowd of campaigners, charity representatives and people infected and affected by the contaminated blood scandal gathered at the gates of Downing Street in London to urge the government not honour the inquiry’s recommendations.

Kate Burt, Chief Executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: ‘A year ago, the Infected Blood Inquiry published its report into the multiple failings that led to the contaminated blood scandal. The inquiry gave us the truth, but we’re still waiting for justice.

‘Until everyone impacted by this scandal receives fair compensation, there can be no justice. Nor can justice be achieved without learning the lessons set out so compellingly in the Infected Blood Inquiry’s report.

‘The steps taken towards implementing the inquiry’s recommendations are welcome, but there is a long road ahead. The government must listen to the infected and affected community to ensure that it makes the changes necessary to deliver fair compensation to everyone who has suffered.’

Nigel Hamilton of Haemophilia NI, Richard Newton of Tainted Blood, Conan McIlwrath and Kate Burt from the Haemophilia Society, Clive Efford MP and Robin Swann MP.

The letter, which you can read here, was signed by Conan McIlwrath, Chair of the Haemophilia Society, Andy Evans, co-founder of Tainted Blood, Nigel Hamilton, Chair of Haemophilia Northern Ireland, Lynne Kelly, Chair of Haemophilia Wales and Richard Newton of Tainted Blood’s Affected Siblings and Children’s group.

The letter highlights ‘fundamental flaws’ in the compensation scheme which could have been avoided if the government had listened to those at the heart of the scandal when it was drawing up its plans. It sets out a few key areas where government needs to take action, in addition to the areas that the Paymaster General, Nick Thomas-Symonds agreed to when he gave evidence to the inquiry on 7 May 2025.

These additional areas are:

Concern over low tariffs for hepatitis C which fail to recognise chronic fatigue, brain fog and the mental and physical health impacts of interferon treatment.
Concern over low payments to the estates of people who died young, because ‘financial loss calculations stop at the point of death. There is no recognition of a life not lived.
The need to guarantee payments to the affected. Currently, individual affected claims die with the affected person, meaning that delays in rolling out compensation will result in some people not receiving the compensation they are entitled to.

The letter tells Sir Keir that the ‘fundamental flaws’ in parts of the compensation scheme are ‘a barrier to large sections of the community achieving the truth and justice they crave.’

The Infected Blood Inquiry is currently working on a new report which is looking at the speed and adequacy of the government’s response to its compensation recommendations.