Sir Robert Francis has shared with us his report and recommendations to government on how the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme could be improved. These 74 recommendations are based on feedback received from representative and campaign groups, as well as submissions from individuals, during a brief engagement process held in June.
The report can be viewed here and a summary statement from Sir Robert is available here. The recommendations fall into three main categories:
1. Proposals for change to be considered by government
2. Request for the Expert Advisory Group appointed by the government to review their conclusions in several areas.
3. A call for more background information to be published to promote greater transparency and aid understanding of the Scheme.
While there is much to take in, we are pleased to note that the Paymaster General, Nick Thomas- Symonds, has indicated the government has accepted the vast majority of the 74 recommendations made by Sir Robert. Notably, the Infected Blood Support Schemes will continue for life for all those registered before 31/3/2025 and any deductions from compensation will only be in respect of future loss and future care needs.
The government is expected to make a further announcement tomorrow (Friday, 16th), on the Gov.uk website, which will include:
- Publication of the full Expert Advisory Group report (summary report only seen so far)
- A statement on the Compensation Scheme.
Next week, the government will also publish additional documentation explaining the scheme in more detail.
As soon as these documents are available, we will provide links to them on this article.