The long road to justice for survivors of contaminated blood scandal

Interim compensation will be paid to victims before the inquiry concludes in 2023

Surviving victims of the infected blood scandal will be awarded interim compensation of £100,000, the government has announced.

• Hepatitis C: what is it and what are the symptoms?
• Inquiry launched into contaminated blood scandal
• How the UK could end HIV transmission by 2030

By the end of October, the survivors, a group of around 4,000 people, will receive compensation for having been mistakenly infected with blood-borne viruses like HIV and hepatitis C. The partners of deceased victims will also receive the payout, however, the parents and children of victims will currently receive nothing. 

Family members of victims have accused the government of “perpetuating the scandal” by not recognising them, The Guardian said, after a “40-year battle” to win compensation for those affected by the mix-up.

The “urgency of the need” to make the payments was recognised by ministers, with survivors “dying at the rate of one every four days”. 

The interim compensation was awarded on the recommendation of an inquiry which began in 2019 and is set to produce its final report in mid-2023.