The archive
Deeper reporting into evidence, records, decisions, institutions and the questions that still do not have clear answers. This section follows the paper trail, examines official claims and looks closely at the systems behind the scandal.
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For some families affected by the infected blood scandal, the person at the centre of their claim died decades ago. Their hospital may have closed. Their consultant may be dead. Their GP records may no longer exist. Paper files may have been destroyed under retention policies, lost during NHS reorganisations or simply disappeared as hospitals moved between paper, microfiche and electronic systems
Read storyThe Government points to Francis, regulations and expert advice when defending the compensation scheme. We went back to the original recommendations, Langstaff’s Inquiry findings and the Government’s own records to ask what was accepted, what was changed, who was consulted — and why bereaved families still believe death is not being properly recognised.
Read storyThe Government repeatedly points to legislation, expert advice and Sir Robert Francis when defending the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. We went back to the original recommendations, the Inquiry timeline and the Government’s own records to ask a simple question: what was accepted, what was changed, who was consulted, and why do bereaved families still believe death is being treated as less?
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Read storyFrom infected blood and the Post Office Horizon scandal to Grenfell, Hillsborough and Windrush, the circumstances may differ—but survivors and bereaved families have encountered an alarmingly familiar pattern: warnings ignored, victims doubted, institutions protected and justice delayed until people are exhausted, silenced or dead.
Read storyIBCA can share claimants’ medical evidence with external clinicians at Interact Medical for an independent medical opinion. Behind that arrangement is a £6 million public contract for specialist clinical assessors. This article asks who those assessors are, what expertise they have, how their opinions influence compensation decisions, and what rights claimants have if they disagree.
Read storyFamilies affected by the infected blood scandal are still trying to understand how compensation decisions are being made — and why similar experiences can lead to very different outcomes. This explainer looks at one of the biggest questions underneath the scheme: is it truly built around fairness for families, or around limiting what the Government has to pay?
Read storyThe Government’s infected blood compensation figures have changed significantly since the scheme was first proposed. We compare what was originally set out with the figures now being discussed — using the published documents and references so readers can see exactly how the position has changed.
Read storyDecades after the infected blood scandal began, could there still be people who were infected and never told? We examine Britain’s delayed tracing efforts, the missing victims, Hepatitis B and C, and the questions raised by Paul Desmond’s When Spin Kills.
Read storyIBCA was created to deliver recognition and redress. Its senior leadership includes extensive experience from DWP, Universal Credit, Working Age Benefits and HMRC. What was done to ensure an old culture of eligibility testing did not follow?
Read storyIBCA is officially described as an independent arm’s-length body. Its own framework, however, reveals how closely its policy, funding, priorities and performance remain tied to the Cabinet Office.
Read storyFamilies should not be made to prove the impossible simply because institutions failed to preserve records created decades ago.
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