'Infected blood has ruined my life for 40 years'
BBCA man who was infected with contaminated blood says it has "ruined his life for more than 40 years" and called for compensation for victims of the scandal to be speeded up.
Stuart Hall, from Stainburn in Workington, Cumbria, contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in the 1980s while being treated for leukaemia.
The government launched a compensation scheme for victims of infected blood last year and ministers say they are committed to "delivering compensation as swiftly as possible".
Mr Hall was left with health problems, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, and needed a liver transplant in 2021.
He said risks from infected blood were too often ignored in the 1980s.
"The government and the NHS were aware the blood treatments blood transfusions, could be infected with hepatitis C and in some cases HIV," he said.
Last June he was also diagnosed with bowel cancer, to which his other health issues had made him vulnerable.
Supplied"I was told once I had a liver transplant, because of the immune-suppressant medication I take to stop my body rejecting the liver, I'll be at high risk of other cancers," he said.
The 58-year-old retired council officer said he was one of thousands frustrated by the wait for full compensation.
"You check your emails every day to see if you've got an email inviting you to start your claim," he said. "You just want it to be over. You just want to get that finished, put it to one side and just move on with your life."
He warned victims would miss out on the help they needed.
"Time is running out for some people. Two people die every four days from the condition they've now got and it's very important they receive their compensation."
More than 30,000 people in the UK are believed to have been infected with HIV or hepatitis C from contaminated blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s and about 3,000 have since died.
The Infected Blood Public Inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff reported in May 2024 the scandal stemmed from a "catalogue of failures" and victims had been let down.
The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) says 475 people have so far been asked to start their compensation claim and 137 people have received a compensation offer.
"Our priority continues to be paying as many people as soon as possible. We are building a claim service and delivering compensation at the same time, to ensure we make payments as quickly as we can," an IBCA spokesman said.
"With more dedicated claim managers in place, we are opening our service to more and more eligible people every week."
A government spokesman said: "We have paid over £44m so far in compensation, over £1bn in interim payments, and set aside £11.8bn to compensate victims.
"While no amount of compensation will make up for the suffering people have endured, we are committed to delivering compensation as swiftly as possible."