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Search for “common approach” to UK support payments continues

Written by Aaron Dennis, October 7, 2020

The Welsh Government has written to The Haemophilia Society in response to concerns raised about shortfalls in its infected blood support scheme.

Julie Morgan, deputy minister for Health and Social Services, said the Welsh Government was “continuing to work with our colleagues in the other UK health departments towards achieving parity across the UK schemes”.

Last month, Clive Smith, The Society’s chair, wrote to health minister Vaughan Gething calling for urgent action after uplifts in Northern Ireland’s support scheme meant that recipients of the Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme now receive the lowest payments in the UK.

Ms Morgan said Penny Mordaunt, the minister sponsoring the Infected Blood Inquiry, is “coordinating” efforts to find a “common approach” to support payments across the UK.

Ms Morgan’s letter can be found here.

We await news of meaningful progress on this issue. In January campaigners, including The Haemophilia Society, met with Ms Mordaunt’s predecessor, Oliver Dowden, and health minister, Nadine Dorries, to discuss parity in support payments, and a number of other issues.