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LONDON: Thousands of people in Britain infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood transfusions will receive a compensation payment decades after the scandal, the UK government announced on Wednesday. The payment of £100,000 ($121,000) to each victim is an interim one after Brian Langstaff, the chairman of a public inquiry into the long-running scandal, last month recommended making immediate payouts before waiting for an ongoing inquiry to conclude. The former High Court judge said that the "moral case for compensation is beyond doubt". The government said the tax-free payments, to survivors of the scandal and bereaved partners of the thousands estimated to have died from the contaminated blood, would be made by the end of October. Thousands of people with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C and HIV after receiving blood transfusions, mainly from the United States, through the state National Health Service (NHS) in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Due to a … [Read more...] about UK to pay contaminated blood victims decades after scandal

By Marie-Louise Connolly & Catherine Smyth Published 7 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics UK contaminated blood inquiry About 100 victims of the infected blood scandal in Northern Ireland are each set to receive an interim compensation payment of £100,000. Thousands of people across the UK contracted HIV or hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of NHS treatments. Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the announcement. He said his department was working "to ensure that the payments will be made at pace". Conan McIlwrath, from Larne in County Antrim, was born with haemophilia but contracted hepatitis from contaminated blood given to him as a child. He told BBC News NI that it was a "historic move, particularly as it is the first time it has been called compensation". Mr McIlwrath, who contracted hepatitis C … [Read more...] about Infected blood scandal: NI victims to receive £100,000

By Lisa Summers Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics UK contaminated blood inquiry As a young boy in the 1970s Myles Hutchison was treated at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for haemophilia, with blood products that he later discovered were contaminated. At the age of 12, Myles, who grew up in Leith, was told he had developed hepatitis. Now 50, he is one of about 4,000 people who will receive compensation as a victim of the blood scandal which saw thousands of people contract HIV or hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s through NHS treatments. Patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were unaware that the Factor VIII blood clotting products they were given were contaminated. Some died after developing AIDS and others developed serious chronic conditions. "There was a stigma attached to it," Myles says, "and I … [Read more...] about Contaminated blood: If I was paid in tears I’d be a billionaire

Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A bus company has announced more cuts to routes but has increased fares. On Tuesday, Reading Buses said some services would no longer run and ticket prices would increase. The company said plans were being introduced due to changing travel patterns, the end of government pandemic funding in October and the ongoing high cost of living. Buses in Reading are not the only ones to be affected after concerns that hundreds of UK routes could be cut . Reading Buses reduced five services in April but said at the time it hoped to increase use as people returned to work "onsite" and leisure activities. The company has seen passenger numbers decrease by 23% since the pandemic, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service . New changes, in place from 5 September, will see the end of some journeys on pink 22, … [Read more...] about Further cuts to Reading bus services announced as fares increase