Key findings: contaminated blood inquiry

The inquiry has revealed the number of people in Scotland who were given infected blood by the NHS, and has outlined recommendations on how to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

• 478 people acquired hepatitis C from blood product therapy

• 2,500 people contracted the virus from blood transfusions between 1970 and 1991

• 60 people acquired HIV from therapy with blood products

• 18 people acquired HIV from blood transfusions

In the above cases the infections were acquired because the patient was given blood from a donor with either hepatitis C, HIV, or in some cases both.

The inquiry found no evidence staff had deliberately infected patients:

The inquiry found there were "few respects" in which more could have been done by staff to prevent the infection of particular groups of patients.

But it did state that the delay in introducing screening for Hepatitis C, which didn't come into force across the whole UK until September 1991, could have been partly to blame.

It also concluded that collecting blood from prisoners should have stopped sooner.

And it revealed that thousands of people in Scotland may be unknowingly living with Hepatitis C.

ITV News Scotland Correspondent Debi Edward said angry shouts of "whitewash" rose from the crowd during the presentation of the report:

It offers a single recommendation, that everyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before September 1991, and hasn't been tested for Hepatitis C, should be tested.

The presentation was followed by a speech from Bill Wright, of charity Haemophilia Scotland, in which he demands an apology:

Breaking down into tears at one point, Mr Wright said the report was the culmination of "decades of searching for the truth".