Workington infected blood victim says inquiry's findings are 'nothing we didn't know'

A man infected with contaminated blood while receiving treatment for leukaemia has said the damning findings of an inquiry into the scandal are "nothing we didn't know already".

Stuart Hall, from Workington, contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in the 1980s which left him with severe health problems, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, for which he needed a transplant in 2021.

Mr Hall required regular ultrasounds to check for cancerous lesions every six months after his hepatitis diagnosis, which he said had "taken from me what people would consider a normal life, without the constant worry of a condition that, ultimately, you could die from".

What did the inquiry find?

The inquiry today found there were a catalogue of failures which led to a "treatment disaster" that could largely have been avoided - and should have been.

Inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff said: "In families across the UK, people were treated by the NHS and over 30,000 were given infections which were life shattering. 3,000 people have already died and that number is climbing week by week.

"This disaster was not an accident. The infections happened because those in authority – doctors, the blood services and successive governments – did not put patient safety first."

He said: "The government is right to accept that compensation must be paid. Now is the time for national recognition of this disaster and for proper compensation to all who have been wronged."

Mr Hall told ITV Border the report's findings were "known about long, long ago", adding: "There was a high chance that blood donations would be infected with a virus [in the 1970s and 1980s]."

He said the last 30 years have had "a huge mental toll" on him and his wife, Julie, who has supported him through every ultrasound, cancer scare, and eventually his liver transplant.

He said: "You shouldn't be spending 30 years worrying that you may die from something that you know is attacking your liver.

"I was very lucky to clear the virus eventually in 2012. I had a 48 weeks course of an antiviral and a course of chemotherapy treatment which cleared the virus.

"But unfortunately by then the liver was cirrhotic and damaged beyond repair."

Mr Hall said he is now waiting to see whether prosecutions can come from the findings of the report.

Will infected blood scandal victims get compensation?

The government is now working at pace to get a compensation body set up, having faced criticism in the past over the speed at which it responded to calls for action on compensation.

Interim compensation payments of £100,000 have been made to around 4,000 infected people or bereaved partners, following advice from the inquiry.

Ministers recently announced that these interim payments would be extended to the “estates of the deceased”.

In April 2023, Sir Brian said interim compensation should also be offered to the children and parents of those infected.

He also recommended a final compensation scheme be set up. The total cost is likely to run into billions.

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