'Day of shame': Sunak sorry for infected blood scandal

Inquiry finds catalogue of failures left 30,000 with HIV and hepatitis and 3,000 dead so far – as major cover-up exposed

- REBECCA THOMAS, TARA COBHAM, DAVID MADDOX

After decades of tragic deaths and deceit, a report has exposed a massive cover-up of the biggest healthcare failure in British history, in what Rishi Sunak acknowledged was “a day of shame”.

The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry pointed the finger at politicians, doctors and civil servants for a chilling cover-up of a scandal that led to the deaths and suffering that continue to this day. From the 1970s to the 1990s, a calamity of failures left 30,000 patients infected with HIV and hepatitis, and killed more than 3,000 people so far.

In a new horrifying revelation the inquiry, led by Sir Brian Langstaff, suggested hundreds of people infected during childbirth may still be living undiagnosed and unaware. It has recommended patients who might have had blood transfusions prior to 1996 should be tested for hepatitis C.

In a statement to the Commons, the prime minister issued an unequivocal apology on behalf of the state for decades of failure and betrayal. Speaking in a hushed chamber yesterday afternoon, Mr Sunak said: “This is a day of shame for the British state. Today’s report shows a decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life. From the National Health Service to the civil service, to ministers in successive governments, at every level the people and institutions in which we place our trust failed in the most harrowing and devastating way. They failed the victims and their families and they failed this country.”

He pledged that lessons will be learnt from the report and that Cabinet Office minister John Glen will provide details of compensation for the victims and their families, which is expected to exceed £10bn, today.