Health officials have launched a new schedule to identify people who may have received unconsciously infected blood.
People of 29 years and older who register new at general practices in England will be asked if they had a blood transfusion before 1996, said NHS England.
If they had a transfusion before 1996, they are offered a test for hepatitis C, known as a silent murderer because people have been unknowingly infected for decades before the symptoms start and significant damage has already been caused.
More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C after they received contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early nineties.
And more than 3,000 people have died, while survivors live with lifelong health implications.
The infected blood tests that the scandal has thoroughly investigated ordered that the health service should work to ‘find the non -diagnosticated one’.
On May 20, last year, the investigation found that the scandal was ‘not an accident’ and was deliberately hidden. Sir Brian Langstaff, the chairman, described it as a ‘disaster’.
Rishi Sunak apologized to the victims and the government announced a compensation schedule of £ 11.8 billion.
Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the Infected Blood research
So far, however, only 77 claimants have received payouts of a total of £ 78 million, of the 140,000 that can be eligible.
A ‘Framework document’ was assumed in March by the infected blood compensation for the authority, said that ‘the bulk’ of the infected person would be paid in 2027, while the majority of the affected people, such as parents whose children died, will have to wait until 2029.
Nick Thomas Symonds, the Minister of the Cabinet Office who supervised the compensation schedule, admitted this month that people would die without.
On Tuesday, a letter will be coordinated by the Haemophilia Society to be delivered to Sir Keir Starmer who encourages him to tackle ‘fundamental problems’ with the compensation schedule, according to the Sunday Times, including increasing rights for people with hepatitis C and accelerating payments.
Hepatitis C is a virus that is passed through blood-to-blood contact and infects the liver. Without treatment this can cause the liver serious damage.
About half of the 800,000 people who register every year at a general practitioner was born after 1996, which means that about 400,000 will be asked about their blood transfusion history.
NHS England said that the new questions for patients will remind them of possible reasons why they may have had a blood transfusion, including after an accident, complication during delivery, surgery or other medical treatment.
If a person is diagnosed, they can receive antiviral medication for a few weeks, whereby this treatment is cured more than nine out of 10 patients with hepatitis C.
Nick Thomas Symonds, the Minister of Cabinet’s Office who supervises the compensation schedule
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director at NHS England, said: ‘The failures of the polluted blood scandal have had a horrible impact for patients and their families for decades, and I would like to repeat our deepest apologies for the role that the health service played in the suffering and loss for so much.
‘The NHS is dedicated to the implementation of the recommendations of the study and this simple change in the general practitioner registration process for patients is an essential step forward to ensure that no one affected by polluted blood is not diagnosed and not supported.
“By routinely checking their risk when someone signs up for a new doctor and, where necessary, offer fast HEP C tests, we will ensure that any non -diagnosed cases can be found and treated as quickly as possible, while thousands more can receive the reassurance of a negative test.”
Minister of Health Ashley Dalton said: ‘The infected blood scandal is one of the most serious injustices that this country has ever seen.
“The government is clear that nothing of this nature can ever happen again, and we have to take tangible action.
“In this initiative, patients are asked about their history and gain access to the tests they need if they run the risk of hepatitis C, in accordance with Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations.”
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 by a transfusion that only now finds out.
People of 29 years and older who register new at general practices in England will be asked if they had a blood transfusion before 1996
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England
‘All these people have had hepatitis C for more than three decades; Some are very sick.
“A more proactive approach is crucial to reach and diagnose those who are not informed of their infection.”
The investigation into the scandal is currently investigating the ‘timeliness and adequacy of the government’s response to compensation’ for victims, with a report that is expected later this year.
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