Victims of the UK infected blood scandal and their families are facing severe bureaucratic barriers from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). Campaigners report that only 15% of projected claims have been processed after two years. Claimants are forced to produce decades-old medical records, utility bills, and school records to prove eligibility, forcing them to relive past trauma. While the IBCA states that missing records will not prevent claims, advocates demand that the burden of proof shift to the state.
IBCA compensation scheme barriers
- ▪The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is reportedly requiring applicants to prove eligibility beyond reasonable doubt rather than applying the public inquiry's recommended "balance of probability" standard.
- ▪Research from the Haemophilia Society indicates that only 15% of projected infected blood compensation claims have been processed two years after the inception of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
- ▪The Infected Blood Compensation Authority payment scheme is facing criticism from campaigners for imposing stringent and bureaucratic eligibility requirements on victims and their families.
Documentation proof requirements
- ▪The Hepatitis C Trust reported that claimants are being asked to prove basic facts, such as whether they lived with their deceased spouses or siblings.
- ▪Infected blood compensation claimants are being asked to provide decades-old medical records, tenancy agreements, utility bills, school records, or family photos to prove basic eligibility.
Victim family testimonies
- ▪Zena Whittaker, whose haemophiliac son Andrew died 31 years ago, is struggling to claim compensation because his medical records were destroyed during a hospital merger.
- ▪Suzanne Morgan, whose mother Marie Jupe died 35 years ago after receiving an infected blood transfusion, has been unable to obtain the medical notes required by the compensation scheme.
- ▪Luke O'Shea Phillips estimates a compensation shortfall of up to £1 million because he cannot prove the extent of his liver damage due to not receiving a risky liver biopsy as a child.
Campaigner reform demands
- ▪The Haemophilia Society is calling for regulatory changes to shift the burden of proof from applicants to the state, automatically qualifying applicants with bleeding disorders unless proven otherwise.
- ▪Hepatitis C Trust chief executive Rachel Halford criticized the compensation process for placing an intolerable burden on victims and treating them like potential fraudsters.
- ▪Haemophilia Wales chair Lynne Kelly accused the Cabinet Office of controlling the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to minimize the amount of compensation paid out.
Government accountability responses
- ▪A UK government spokesperson stated that the government has engaged with the community to make changes to the compensation scheme and will remain accountable to Parliament.
- ▪A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority stated that missing or destroyed records will not prevent claims, as the authority will determine eligibility based on all available evidence.
- ▪Campaigners expressed shock that Prime Minister Andy Burnham moved responsibility for the infected blood scandal from a cabinet-level secretary of state to a junior minister.
Medical records destruction issues
- ▪Destruction and loss of decades-old medical records, including those lost during hospital mergers, are preventing infected blood victims from proving their clinical history to the compensation authority.
- ▪Haemophilia treatment centres are facing severe administrative pressure as staff are forced to sift through patients' medical notes to find evidence for compensation claims.
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