The lives of over 30,000 people in the UK were devastated after they were infected with diseases linked to contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.
The report revealed that patients were failed “not once, but repeatedly” by doctors, the government, the NHS, and others.
The report found that the risks of blood and blood products causing severe infection were “known well before most patients were treated.” However, patients were not informed of these risks or alternatives due to a prevailing “doctor knows best” culture in the NHS. Some patients were not even told they had been infected, while others were informed in an insensitive way.
Haematologists, particularly Professor Arthur Bloom, were heavily criticised.
Prof. Bloom’s advice to continue importing commercial factor concentrates and his failure to pass on warnings contributed significantly to the UK’s slow response to the risks of AIDS for haemophiliacs.
Lord Mayor Treloar College in Alton, Hampshire, saw some of the worst mistakes. Male pupils treated for haemophilia at an on-site NHS centre received plasma blood products infected with Hepatitis C and HIV, leading to the deaths of over half the students treated. While school administrators were not blamed, NHS clinicians who treated the pupils were held responsible. These clinicians were aware of the infection risks and viewed the children as “objects of research.” The college acknowledged the “systemic failure” at the heart of the scandal and supported the establishment of a proper compensation scheme. Des Collins, a lawyer representing 1,500 clients from the college, called for criminal prosecution, emphasizing the long wait for justice.
The inquiry also criticised former and current politicians for failing to address concerns about infected blood products, neglecting to make the UK self-sufficient in blood product supply, and delaying justice and compensation for victims according to ITV News.
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and then-health minister Kenneth Clarke were notably criticised. Thatcher’s dismissive response to compensation requests and Clarke’s lack of curiosity about the scandal were highlighted as major failures.
The report also blamed former Prime Minister Theresa May for delaying the public inquiry, which hampered the investigation due to the death or frailty of key witnesses.
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