‘We have been given a death sentence’ blood inquiry begins

The contaminated blood scandal is the worst tragedy to hit the NHS and those responsible need to be held accountable for their actions and prosecuted, a victim has said.

A public inquiry will consider the treatment of thousands of people in the 1970s and 1980s who were given blood products infected with hepatitis viruses and HIV, and the impact this has had.

Michelle Tolley spoke as the probe into the deaths of more than 2,400 people who were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C as a result of the scandal began in London yesterday.

“Anyonewhomayberesponsible... they need to be held accountable and prosecuted if needs be - I strongly believe that,” the mother-of-four said.

“People need to know that this tragedy happened,” she said. “This is the worst tragedy in the history of the NHS and it must never ever happen again, absolutely never.”

The 53-year-old was infected following a blood transfusion after the birth of her child in 1987 and another in 1991. She eventually found out in 2015 that she had Hepatitis C.

Describing how she wakes up every day feeling as though she is “waiting to die”, she said she thought the start of the inquiry is a day that would never come, and worries she might not see it end.

Feeling “very positive” about the Uk-wide inquiry and that prosecutions could be achieved, she added: “I have great, great faith that they will leave no stone unturned.”

Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the inquiry, previously said the investigation would examine whether there had been an attempt to cover up the scandal, and has promised a “thorough examination of the evidence”.

Ms Tolley from Sparham, Norfolk, said the scandal has stolen her life, and that she fears a liver scan next month may reveal she has cancer.

“I feel we have been given a death sentence without committing any crime. I have got a death sentence hanging over my head,” she said.

“My future has been lost, my last 31 years have been cruelly snatched away from me.

“It has a knock-on effect to the affected people - my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my colleagues - that ripple effect really is much wider.”

Scotland has already had aninquiryintothecontaminated blood scandal. The Penrose inquiry reported in March 2015, after a sixyear wait, and concluded few matters could have been done differently.

It made only a single recommendation - that anyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before 1991 should be tested for Hepatitis C if they have not already done so. There was an angry response from victims and relatives who called it a “whitewash”.