Infected blood inquiry: 'Compensation should recognise wider families'

The daughter of a man who died after contracting HIV from NHS blood products is hoping a new report will recognise the children and parents of victims.

Katie Walford said her father, David Hatton, died in April 1998 after contracting the virus while being treated for haemophilia.

The 34-year-old has called for financial compensation for the wider families of victims.

An interim report on the issue is expected to be released on Wednesday.

Mr Hatton contracted HIV and Hepatitis C after being given a protein made from blood plasma known as Factor VIII.

It is thought tens of thousands of NHS patients were infected between 1970 and 1991.

At the time, the UK was not self-sufficient in factor concentrate, so it was often imported from the United States - where prisoners and other at-risk groups were paid to donate.

An inquiry into the scandal was ordered by the government. In October 2022, midway through the investigation, about 4,000 surviving victims and bereaved partners received interim compensation payments of £100,000 each.

However, wider families are yet to receive any compensation.

The inquiry is now due to file its second interim report, which Ms Walford, of Darley Abbey in Derby, hopes will lead to "a full detailed meaningful apology from the government".

"I am angry - the anger's always been there," she said.

"The anger is valid because something unjust has happened.

"But, I don't want it to take over my life. I know that's not the life my dad would have wanted for me.

"The financial stability should have been provided decades ago and we're still fighting for it now.

"A lot of people had a diminished quality of life because they weren't offered some basic support in the sense of financial help."

Ms Walford said no money would replace the memories she could have had, but her loss needed to be "recognised".

"There is no price of being able to see my dad with my daughter, being an amazing grandad - that's been taken away from me and my family," she said.

"It's the recognition of having it documented, validated world wide and to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again to make sure there isn't another 10-year-old out there who won't have to say goodbye to their dad too soon.

"There are people that need to be recognised within this compensation conversation.

"I feel it's quite confusing why it is still being had and why it has not been resolved because parents as well haven't been involved as well as children.

"Their pain deserves that recognition."

A government spokesperson said: "The infected blood scandal should never have happened. The government has paid interim compensation to those eligible.

"We welcome the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry's second interim report this week, which will be extremely helpful to the government in responding to the final report from Sir Brian Langstaff later this year."

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