Infected blood victims losing faith as inquiry hearings restart

The infected blood inquiry is holding two more days of hearings amid concerns about the government's response on compensation, with campaigners warning they are "losing faith".

It comes nearly a year after the final report was published into the scandal - said to be the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

More than 30,000 people contracted HIV and hepatitis from contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 80s – and 3,000 people have since died.

Victims groups have since said the government has been slow to pay out compensation and the process was lacking transparency. Inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff said he had decided to act given the "gravity" of the problems expressed.

And a spokesperson said it was continuing to act on the inquiry's recommendations, adding: "The victims of this scandal have suffered unspeakably."

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Source: BBC News, 9 April 2025