The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood

***During the election period, following the dissolution of parliament on 30 May, there are no MPs and the APPG ceases to exist. After the election on 4 July, the APPG will hold an inaugural meeting in the next parliament to elect officers and re-register as an APPG.***

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood is a cross party group of MPs and peers who share an interest in bleeding disorders and the contaminated blood scandal.

The core purpose of the group is to promote awareness of, and campaign for, people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders and people infected with blood-borne viruses due to contaminated blood and blood products used in their healthcare treatment.

The group is Co-Chaired by Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson and Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, the two Vice-Chairs are SNP MP Chris Stephens and Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Featherstone.

The group meets regularly, usually quarterly, to get updates on developments in bleeding disorder care and treatment and on the inquiry into the historical use of contaminated blood and blood products. It often invites ministers and others to address the APPG. It seeks to represent the needs of these communities in parliament and in engagement with Government, Government bodies, the Infected Blood Inquiry and the NHS.

The secretariat to the APPG is provided by The Haemophilia Society (THS). In this role we maintain the membership information of the APPG and facilitate meetings of the APPG in conjunction with the chairs.

The current work of the APPG focuses on:

• Access to treatment and care for people with bleeding disorders
• The Infected Blood Inquiry and compensation.

APPG inquiry into Access to Treatment

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood has undertaken an inquiry into the current systems of licensing, procurement, commissioning and prescription of treatments for genetic bleeding disorders in the UK.

The final report, launched in November 2020 documents the current processes for new and current treatments to become available in the UK with a focus on how these processes impact on the treatments that patients are offered and can be offered by the NHS. It shows where the processes are working well and where they are not.

The officers of the APPG regularly correspond with the Government on the support available to people affected by contaminated blood and blood products. All letters and replies are available on this website. You can read the APPG correspondence here.

The APPG reformed after the 2019 election with an inaugural meeting on 11 February 2020 and had its most recent AGM on 10 May 2023. The APPG usually meets around 3-4 times a year, its next AGM is due in Spring 2024.

The group also undertook an inquiry into the support for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal in the UK which was published in January 2015.  Read the full report (PDF) or the executive summary (PDF).

The APPG is keen to welcome new members to support its work and ensure haemophilia, bleeding disorders and the contaminated blood scandal remain on the political agenda. We encourage the affected community to contact their MP and ask them to join the APPG by contacting Diana Johnson MP on [email protected] or The Haemophilia Society on [email protected]

The current membership of the APPG is:

• Minutes of the Meeting April 2021
• Minutes of the Meeting and AGM May 2021
• Results of the AGM for Year 2020-21
• Results of the AGM for Year 2021-22
• Results of the AGM for Year 2022-23
• New register entry following EGM January 2024

Disclaimer

This is not an official website of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group.