Just 460 infected blood victims out of 30,000 have received payouts

Report blasts delays for causing more pain

- By Ella Pickover

DELAYS in compensation for infected blood scandal victims have “perpetuated” the harm they have suffered, a report has concluded.

Sir Brian Langstaff, who chaired the Infected Blood Inquiry, said it was “profoundly unsatisfactory” that just 460 victims out of 30,000 had so far received compensation, as he called for a “faster and fairer” process.

His latest report criticised a “repetition of the mistakes of the past”, which has meant people have been “harmed yet further” since the compensation scheme was established, with decisions being made “behind closed doors”.

Sir Brian told victims at an event in central London yesterday that “delay creates an injustice all of its own”.