Sir Brian Langstaff told a special memorial service the UK should never forget the contaminated blood scandal
Sir Brian Langstaff (left) alongside with members of the public queueing ahead of a memorial service for infected blood victims(Image: IBI / PA)
Many of those infected and affected by the infected blood scandal continue to be “desperate” to see full compensation, leading charities have warned. This comes as the chair of the now concluded Infected Blood Inquiry Sir Brian Langstaff used a moving memorial service to say that the UK must “always remember” what happened.
Former High Court judge used the service to again re-iterate what was clear in the formal report into the scandal produced at the inquiry – that it was “not an accident”. He was speaking at a memorial service held two years on at St Paul’s Cathedral in London and attended by figures including former Prime Minister Theresa May.
Sir Brian said: “Many knew instinctively that it could have been avoided. But most of those in authority would not accept there had been any such disaster, let alone inquire why it had happened.”
The inquiry concluded the scandal “could largely have been avoided” and there was a “pervasive” cover-up to hide the truth. The scandal saw thousands of people infected with HIV, hepatitis C and a range of other lethal infections through blood or blood products they were given on the NHS.
Thousands have died, including in Newcastle, which hosted one of the country’s major NHS centres treating haemophiliacs. Sir Brian added: “In remembering, we must not forget that what happened medically was compounded by intransigence, defensiveness and untruths peddled by many in authority for far too long.
“The horrifying scale of what happened is also why it is so important that as a nation we always remember, and that those who continue to suffer, continue to grieve, know that they are not alone.”
Symbolic empty chairs were placed in the congregation to represent people who died, as singer Michael Ball performed Empty Chairs At Empty Tables. The service included poems written by members of the infected blood community and paper petals were dropped from the cathedral’s dome in memory of lives lost.
The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St Paul’s, said the service was to “publicly recognise and remember the devastation wrought on thousands of lives and the untimely deaths of loved ones”.
This comes as charities the Hepatitis C Trust and the Haemophilia Society have called on the Government to speed up compensation payments for victims of the scandal. More than £2 billion has been paid in compensation so far and the chair of the Benton-based compensation authority has said “there is still a long way to go”..
Kate Burt, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: “The memorial service is a moment to pause as a nation and remember the suffering and loss caused by the infected blood scandal. It is shameful and unforgivable that today the delays in delivering compensation are adding to that suffering.
“Bereaved parents, siblings and children are dying without receiving the recognition and justice they fought so hard to achieve. The Government and the Infected Blood Compensation Authority must do far more to speed up the compensation process.”
Campaigner Sean Cavens at the infected blood inquiry in London(Image: Sean Cavens)
Sean Cavens – a Northumberland man who was one of the youngest haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis C – has spoken to ChronicleLive about the need for more progress. He said: “It’s important to me that the Government echo the spirit of the inquiry, they’re not doing that!
“We all just want to move on from this, draw a line under it, but without a truly fair compensation package, how can any of us say we got justice for ourselves or our dead?”
Some £11.8 billion has been allocated to compensate victims, administered by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). Figures from the IBCA show that up to May 7, some 3,232 people have had their compensation paid, with the combined payments totalling more than £2.1 billion.
The partner of a man who died after being infected with hepatitis C said those who lost their lives as a result of the scandal have been “put at the bottom of the queue”. Paula Butterworth’s partner John Louis Daly, who was a haemophiliac, died in September 2007 aged 42 after being infected with hepatitis C at the Royal Liverpool Hospital.
Speaking outside St Paul’s Cathedral ahead of the service Ms Butterworth, 52, said: “He left a 10-year-old daughter who’s now nearly 30, and you just can’t explain the impact it’s had on our life.”
Speaking ahead of the memorial service, Sir Keir said: “We stand with the infected blood community to bear witness to the lives lost and those changed forever. As a nation, we must ensure the lessons of this scandal are never forgotten.”
David Foley, chief executive of the IBCA, said: “Today, the infected blood community come together to remember, recognise and reflect. We know that for so many, no amount of compensation can undo the suffering and loss that we mark today.
“Every one of the compensation payments represents someone who has waited decades for recognition.
“That is why our priority is to pay every eligible person the compensation they deserve as quickly as we can while building a compensation service which is right for everyone. We have paid more than £2.1 billion to 3,232 people but we know there is still a long way to go.
“We are listening to the community when they tell us to go faster and we continue to open the service so that more and more people can begin their compensation journey.”
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