Infected blood survivor fears government compensation will replace support payments

  • Rosie Dowsing reports

An infected blood scandal campaigner from Worcestershire says victims like her still haven't had the time to heal.

Now they have even more uncertainty after the public inquiry report was published.

Ros Cooper from Bewdley was infected with hepatitis C as a child while receiving treatment for a blood disorder.

She long campaigned for compensation, which the Government announced will be paid.

But Ros and other victims have since found out that could replace the support payments they've long relied on - as a result of the health scandal that left many unable to work.

Ros found out those blood products had infected her with hepatitis C aged 19 Credit: Ros Cooper

Ros found out those blood products had infected her with hepatitis C aged 19 but doesn't know when exactly she was infected as her medical notes have been lost.

That diagnosis has impacted her whole life. She lived in fear of an early death, planning her funeral in her early 20s and telling me that there was never a plan or goal to her life as she never expected to live for long enough to need one.

The treatment to rid her of hepatitis ruined her health, leaving her unable to work, and unable to have children.

And she feels guilt that she is alive, when so many friends she has met through support groups are not.

Yet through all this, Ros and her mother have been campaigning and fighting for the truth.

Ros Cooper and her mother Juliet have spent decades campaigning for the truth. Credit: Ros Cooper

After a six-year inquiry, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a public apology to those affected by the contaminated blood scandal.

Ros had to give up work after years of nasty side effects from hepatitis c treatment and so the support payments became a lifeline.

But it's not just about the money - she says the Government have yet to provide any psychological support or therapy for victims.

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme is due to replace any previous support payments to victims by April next year.

In the Commons, Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen said: "We will ensure that no-one receives less in compensation than they would have received in support payments.

The legislation to compensate the victims was one of the last to be passed before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election. And with cross-party consensus - both Labour and the Conservatives have committed to compensating the victims.

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