In response to a recent announcement by the Government that the Minister responsible for infected blood, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office John Glen MP, is proposing a tour to meet people infected and affected by the infected blood scandal, the chief executive of The Hepatitis C Trust Rachel Halford has written to him to convey concerns and call for meaningful engagement.
Halford wrote:
28th March 2024
Dear Mr Glen,
You have recently proposed to hold a series of 25 meetings with people infected and affected by the infected blood scandal. You are undoubtedly already aware that this announcement has caused a huge amount of distress and anger among the infected blood communities. I am writing to also convey our concerns about the aims of – and need for – such an activity.
You have stated that the purpose of these meetings is to speak to affected communities “about their priorities ahead of the publication of the Inquiry’s final report”.
As you know, the Infected Blood Inquiry has heard the experiences of many hundreds of people affected by the infected blood scandal. Sir Robert Francis also met directly with communities as he undertook his Compensation Framework Study for the Cabinet Office. The resulting Francis Review report and the second interim Inquiry report on compensation both make it extremely clear that the urgent priority stemming from all this work is delivering decades-overdue compensation.
You must appreciate that the affected communities have been continuously recounting and retelling their experiences and trauma for more than 40 years in their fight for justice.
If you do intend to go ahead with any engagement, we would urge you to make this as meaningful as possible. As a minimum, this must mean that communities are given – in advance – full details of the Government’s plans on delivering compensation, including the proposed mechanism, timelines for its implementation and the purpose and terms of reference for all Government advisory panels. The meeting should then be an opportunity for clear discussion of concrete proposals.
This is the very least that should be provided to a community expected to spend their time and energy, often in poor health, attending these events. Without it, the purpose of these meetings remains unclear, while the scope for them to cause harm is unacceptably high.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Rachel Halford
Chief Executive, The Hepatitis C Trust