'Substantial changes' on infected blood payouts

The government has said it is making "substantial changes" to the compensation scheme for thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal.

The announcement was made in Parliament two weeks after a heavily critical report into the payment scheme by the chair of the public inquiry into the disaster.

The new rules mean estates of affected people who have already died will be able to claim compensation and those with a chronic hepatitis C infection will receive higher amounts.

Victims' groups "cautiously welcomed" the announcement but said it was disappointing that some changes were still subject to further consultation.

It is thought 30,000 people were infected with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s after being given contaminated blood products.

The inquiry's main report into the scandal, published last year, found that too little was done to stop contaminated blood products being imported from abroad, and that elements of the scandal had been covered up.

Earlier this month the inquiry's chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, published a follow-up report after receiving "email after email" expressing concerns about the way the compensation scheme had been managed.

He criticised the speed that payments had been made and said victims had been "harmed further" by the way they had been treated.

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Source: BBC News, 22 July 2025