Highland campaigner for infected blood scandal victims says they in ‘horrendous’ place as wait for compensation drags on
A relentless Highland campaigner for infected blood scandal victims says many are suffering mental illness as the fight for compensation drags on.
Bruce Norval (60), a haemophiliac on the Black Isle, has criticised the time it is is taking for claims to be settled a year after a public inquiry published a scathing report into the scandal - the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS
He made his comments as the inquiry prepares to hold two further hearings next month in an unprecedented move.
Mr Norval, who has submitted evidence, says he is tired and worn out after his decades-long battle but has vowed to continue.
• ‘It made us social pariahs’ - campaigner reflects on personal impact of infected blood scandal
• Infected blood scandal had devastating toll on Black Isle family
He was among 30,000 victims - including 3000 in Scotland - who were infected with HIV or hepatitis C mainly in the 1970s and 80s from receiving transfusions during surgery, or through products created using blood plasma and imported from the US.
Since then, 3000 have died but the numbers continue to rise.
Mr Norval was given infected blood products after being diagnosed with haemophilia, aged three, and unknowingly used as a human guinea pig for research.
After spending years trying to expose the truth, he was finally vindicated last May when the public inquiry concluded the tragedy could have been avoided and found the NHS and government to be culpable.
Although the government announced a compensation scheme the following day, there have been few payments while Mr Norval has yet to be invited to claim.
In a statement submitted ahead of the hearings on May 7 and 8, he says he has continued to receive four or five messages a week from people asking for his help to understand the compensation scheme.
“I speak to anybody who contacts me to ask for help, including a large number of bereaved families,” he states.
“I am tired and worn out as a result of the events since the inquiry’s report was published.
“I need to be able to move on and so do my family.
“I do not want to have to continue to fight but have not come this far over more than four decades to just walk away.”
He said people were in a “horrendous” place where they were still fighting.
“There are significant signs of stress and mental illness amongst the community,” he stated.
“I am aware that a large number have been put on anti-depressants over the last few months - many members of the community are mentally unwell.
“People are desperately trying to rebuild their lives and need certainty to be able to do so.
“The uncertainty about when claims might be dealt with is leading to members of the community becoming increasingly isolated.”
Mr Norval said having spoken to victims going through the process, it was “tortuous” and overly complicated.
Although Mr Norval has yet to be invited to claim, he has used the Infected Blood Compensation Authority’s compensation calculator which valued his loss of earnings at £12,500 a year and discounted care needs for most of his life.
Mr Norval - who had to give up a career in nursing and was a band roadie for a time - maintained the majority of compensation payments for people would be spent making life tolerable.
As his symptoms worsen, life has been put on hold for himself and his wife, Christine, who was diagnosed with blood cancer.
He says there are jobs need tackling in their home.
“We cannot fix our kitchen, or deal with cracks in the outside walls, or the draughty windows,” he said. “The house is difficult to heat.
“All these things are on hold because someone has created a system of complexity.”
The latest figures reveal 63 compensation offers totalling just over £73 million have been made and 40 people have accepted.
A total of 255 people have been asked to begin their claim while 214 people have started the process.
A spokesperson for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority said: “Those impacted by this scandal have waited decades for recognition and compensation and that’s why our priority continues to be paying as many people as soon as possible.
“We have started small in order to build a payment system that works and that we can scale once it has been tested.
“In August 2024, IBCA was given the legal power to begin making compensation payments, four months later we had made the very first offers of compensation.
“Now, we have opened our service up to more than 250 people, and from this week our newly trained claim managers will begin processing further claims.”
By the end of April it hopes to open the claim service to another 200 people, with priority given to those who could be nearing the end of their lives in the next 12 months.
