NHS launches hunt for patients unknowingly given infected blood

Health officials have launched a new scheme to help identify people who may have unknowingly been given infected blood.

People aged 29 and over who newly register with GP practices in England will be asked if they had a blood transfusion prior to 1996, NHS England said.

If they did have a transfusion before 1996 they will be offered a test for hepatitis C, which is known as a silent killer because people can be infected unknowingly for decades before symptoms start and significant damage has already been done.

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.

And more than 3,000 people have died as a result while survivors are living with lifelong health implications.

The Infected Blood Inquiry, which examined the scandal in depth, recommended that the health service should work to ‘find the undiagnosed’.

On May 20, last year, the inquiry found the scandal was ‘not an accident' and was deliberately concealed. Sir Brian Langstaff, the chairman, described it as a ‘calamity’.

Rishi Sunak apologised to the victims and the government announced an £11.8 billion compensation scheme.

However, so far only 77 claimants have received payouts totalling £78million, from the 140,000 who may be eligible.

A ‘framework document’ slipped out by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority in March said ‘the bulk’ of those infected would be paid by 2027, while the majority of those affected, such as parents whose children died and children whose parents died, will have to wait until 2029.

Nick Thomas Symonds, the cabinet office minister overseeing the compensation scheme, admitted this month that people would die without it.

On Tuesday a letter co-ordinated by the Haemophilia Society will be delivered to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to address ‘fundamental problems’ with the compensation scheme, according to the Sunday Times, including increasing entitlement for those with hepatitis C and speeding up the payments.

Hepatitis C is a virus that is passed on through blood-to-blood contact and infects the liver. Without treatment, it can cause serious damage to the liver.

Around half of the 800,000 people who register with a GP each year were born after 1996, meaning some 400,000 will be asked about their blood transfusion history.

NHS England said the new questions for patients will remind them of possible reasons they may have had a blood transfusion, including after an accident, complication during childbirth, surgery, or other medical treatment.

If a person is diagnosed they can be given antiviral medication for several weeks, with this treatment curing more than nine out of 10 patients with hepatitis C.

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Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, said: ‘The failures of the contaminated blood scandal have had a horrifying impact for patients and their families for decades, and I would like to reiterate our deepest apologies for the role the health service played in the suffering and loss for so many.

‘The NHS is dedicated to implementing the inquiry’s recommendations and this simple change to the GP registration process for patients is a vital step forward in ensuring that nobody affected by contaminated blood is living undiagnosed and unsupported.

‘By routinely checking their risk when anyone signs up to a new GP and offering fast Hep C tests where necessary, we will ensure any undiagnosed cases can be found and treated as quickly as possible, while enabling thousands more to receive the reassurance of a negative test.’

Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: ‘The Infected Blood Scandal is one of the gravest injustices this country has ever seen.

‘The government has been clear nothing of this nature can ever happen again, and we must take tangible action.

‘This initiative will see patients asked about their history and given access to the tests they need if they are at risk of Hepatitis C, in line with the recommendations of Sir Brian Langstaff.’

Rachel Halford, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said: ‘This is a very welcome and important step.

‘Every two weeks we hear from someone infected with hepatitis C through a transfusion who is only now finding out.

‘All of these people have had hepatitis C for more than three decades; some are very ill.

‘A more pro-active approach is critical to reaching and diagnosing those who remain unaware of their infection.’

The inquiry into the scandal is currently examining the ‘timeliness and adequacy of the Government’s response to compensation’ for victims, with a report expected later this year.