Overview

This bill aims to provide support for individuals infected with diseases through contaminated NHS blood and blood products, and their families. It establishes a committee to advise on haemophilia treatment, introduces a compensation scheme, and mandates improvements to blood safety.

Description

The bill covers several key areas:

• Haemophilia Advisory Committee: A committee will be formed to advise on haemophilia treatment, including therapy selection and accessibility, financial needs of patients, and international comparisons of support provisions. The Secretary of State must consult this committee before major policy changes.
• Blood Donation Safety: A new system will be implemented to test all people with haemophilia (and their partners) for several infectious diseases (hepatitis B and C, HIV, HTLV, syphilis, and vCJD). The blood supply will also be made safer via prion filtration and routine donor testing.
• NHS Compensation Cards: A scheme will provide free NHS access to prescription drugs, counselling, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and home nursing for those infected via contaminated blood. Priority NHS treatment will also be offered.
• Financial Compensation: Financial compensation will be paid to those infected, their carers, widows, and dependants. Payments will be an initial lump sum plus periodic payments, not means-tested, and independent of initial treatment reason, age at infection, or date of infection (or death, for dependants). An appeals process will be available.
• Review of Support: A review will assess support for dependants of those who died, the provision of medical insurance for infected individuals, the number of potentially unknowingly infected people, and charity funding for haemophilia.

Government Spending

The bill does not specify exact figures, but it will lead to increased government spending on compensation payments, healthcare services (through the NHS Compensation Cards scheme), and potentially increased funding for haemophilia charities following the review.

Groups Affected

• People with haemophilia: Will benefit from the advisory committee, blood testing, NHS compensation cards, and financial compensation.
• People infected with diseases via contaminated NHS blood: Will receive NHS compensation cards and financial compensation.
• Carers of infected individuals: Will receive financial compensation.
• Widows and dependants of infected individuals: Will receive financial compensation.
• NHS: Will face increased costs related to providing services under the NHS Compensation Cards scheme and compensation payments.
• Blood donors: Will be subject to more extensive testing.
• Haemophilia charities: Could receive increased funding following the review.

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