Beds victim of the infected blood scandal loses faith - a year on from the Inquiry
Victims in the East of England have shared their frustration and disappointment with the compensation scheme
A man from Bedfordshire whose father died of AIDS is sharing his disappointment with the length of time the compensation scheme is taking - a year on from the full inquiry's report.
More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s.
Over 3,000 people died as a result and survivors are living with lifelong health implications.
The Infected Blood Inquiry's full and lengthy report last year detailed how the scandal "could largely have been avoided" and that there was a "pervasive" cover-up to hide the truth in what was dubbed one of the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.
A year on, victims are speaking up and voicing their frustration with what they called a continuous lack of accountability.
Christopher Smith, 47, from Bedfordshire, lost his father when he was just 8.
His dad, who was a haemophiliac, was switched to infected blood as part of his treatment in the early 1980's.
He contracted HIV and Hepatitis, later dying of AIDS.
He now expresses deep frustration at the UK government’s slow handling of the long-awaited compensation scheme.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "Although I had reservations, there was just this little part of me that hoped that it would kind of all sail through and be over.
"I want to believe it, but I'm yet to know a single person that has been contacted to start their claim and go through it.
"We hear from the Prime Minister, we hear from MPs, we hear from reporters just how bad that was, yet the people that are still alive that had involvement in keeping this kind of quiet for four decades kind of walk free, no accountability."
In her October budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves allocated £11.8 billion to compensate victims, administered by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA).
The IBCA said, as of May 6, 677 people have been asked to start their claim and 106 payments have been made, totalling more than £96 million.
It is expected the "bulk" of payments for people infected will be paid out by 2027 and the bulk of payments for the affected are expected to be paid by 2029.
Less than two weeks ago, victims and campaigners gave evidence at a hearing, arguing that the compensation scheme was taking too long.
For many victims, the compensation scheme is a form of quantified accountability which wouldn't otherwise be obtained.
However Mr Smith said that seeing officials of the time of the scandal walk free today cannot be compensated monetarily, and that the financial compensation offered by the Compensation Authority does not compare to the financial loss experienced by his family after his father's passing.
He said: "I would forego that £127,000 if they brought accountability in, but they’re not going to. I lost more than £127,000. That is nothing for what we lost.
"Just do the right thing. Speed this up. Don’t let this go on another decade.
"There needs to be a line drawn in the sand. Everyone needs to be done so whether or not that is implementing interest on it, maybe that could be what helps kind of speed things up."
A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority said:
"Those impacted by the infected blood scandal have waited decades for recognition and compensation, and that's why our priority remains paying as many people as soon as possible. We thank the Infected Blood Inquiry and all those who gave evidence across the two days of further hearings.
"We have started small, learning from each person making a claim, and have continued to build these learnings into our claim service as we have grown. So far, 677 people have been asked to start their compensation claim and this number continues to grow, with more than £90 million offered in compensation.
"We are now opening our service to around 100 people every week. We expect that every living and infected person registered with a support scheme will be able to start their claim by the end of 2025, and we are working through these as quickly as possible."