New payouts for victims of hepatitis C blood infection

Published on Thursday 3 March 2011 17:49

MORE Scots who were infected with hepatitis C through treatment with NHS blood or blood products will now be eligible for thousands of pounds of extra support.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today announced the introduction of an annual payment of 12,800 for those living with hepatitis C who qualify for stage two payments, as well as an increase in the one-off lump sum from 25,000 to 50,000 to the same individuals, whether the patient is alive or dead.

Families of those who died before August 29, 2003 can now also make claim.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said it was hard to say exactly how many people the new measures would affect, but she believed it to be a few hundred.

Ms Sturgeon said she had accepted the recommendations of a Department of Health-led review announced in England in January.

She said: "I have every sympathy for those people and their families whose lives have been blighted by NHS treatment with infected blood.

"That is why this Government set up the Penrose public inquiry which is currently looking into these events.

"Clearly it's right that those affected should be appropriately supported.

"The contaminated blood review has made recommendations to provide additional support particularly to those who are suffering most or who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of their predicament.

"No amount of support can restore these people's health but I believe the measures announced today represent a considerable improvement for those who are most seriously ill or who are suffering financial hardship."

The new plans will also give access to a discretionary fund for patients and their dependants suffering financial hardship.

Patients who develop hepatitis C-related B cell lymphoma will now be eligible to claim for stage two payment and finally, the annual funds for those with hepatitis C or HIV will increase.

The Penrose Inquiry was established to look into the circumstances in which patients treated by the NHS in Scotland became infected with hepatitis C or HIV or both, through the use of blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

The inquiry is currently preparing for public hearings set to begin in Edinburgh next Tuesday.

The Skipton Fund and related trusts were established to provide support to those affected by these events.

Ms Sturgeon added that a further review of stage one payments from the Skipton Fund and the implementation of the new measures announced today will be reviewed when the final report of the Penrose Inquiry is considered.