A shameful tragedy

The expected announcement this week of compensation payments to victims of the blood contamination scandal is long overdue. Indeed, the delays in dealing with this appalling matter have compounded the mistakes that led to the infection and deaths of thousands of NHS patients.

They were given blood products infected with HIV or hepatitis C imported from America while being treated for haemophilia and other disorders. An inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff last week recommended that surviving victims – as well as the bereaved partners of those who died – should be offered interim payments of no less than £100,000. The money is to fund immediate bills and care needs, with a recommendation on final payments to be made when the inquiry concludes its work next year. As one of his last acts in No10, Boris Johnson has ordered that the tax-free grants should be made as soon as possible. The obvious question that arises is why it has taken so long. This tragedy relates to events of 30 years ago. The public inquiry was only set up in 2018 and 400 victims have died since then.

A letter to the Prime Minister last week urging immediate action was signed by three former health secretaries – Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock and Andy Burnham – who were among those presiding over the unaccountable procrastination.

This is arguably the worst ever scandal involving the NHS, though it was not limited to the UK. Other countries addressed its tragic consequences a long time ago. In France in the early 1990s, Edmond Hervé, the health minister in the government of Laurent Fabius, was convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of infected patients, though never sentenced. Here, the way this matter has been handled by successive administrations is shameful.