The Infected Blood Inquiry is an independent public inquiry established to examine the circumstances in which men, women and children treated by the National Health Service in the United Kingdom were given infected blood products between 1970 and 1991.

Publication of the Inquiry’s Final Report will take place at Central Hall, Westminster, on 20th May 2024.   

You can find out more about the Inquiry on the Infected Blood Inquiry website here.   

 

How did this happen?  

Before 1991 some blood donors had HIV and/or Hepatitis C and this resulted in some recipients being infected. 

Since 1985 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for HIV and since September 1991 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for Hepatitis C.  

 

What should I do if I have an inherited bleeding disorder and require support or advice?

If you would like support regarding any issues raised by the Infected Blood Inquiry, please contact the Bleeding Disorder Network Wales team at the Haemophilia Centre in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. 

They have set up a dedicated phone line and e-mail to support patients and their families affected and infected by contaminated blood products across Wales. These will operate Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.

Email: BDNW.InfectedBloodInquiry.Cav@wales.nhs.uk

Telephone: 0800 952 0055  

The team will respond to your call and provide as much help as possible tailored to your individual needs. You will be directed accordingly to appropriate services to include psychological support, social support and wellbeing support. They will also be able to signpost you to access medical records.

Alternatively, you can contact Haemophilia Wales via info@haemophiliawales.org or through their online contact form here.

 

Who was affected and could I be infected?     

Please be reassured that the risk remains low even if you had a blood transfusion before 1991. However, there is a small chance you may have been infected if you:

• Received a blood transfusion or blood product before September 1991 
• Received an organ transplant before 1992 

 

I received a blood transfusion or blood product before September 1991, or an organ transplant before 1992. Do I need to take any action?  

The risk is low if you:  

• Received a blood transfusion or blood product before September 1991 
• Received an organ transplant before 1992  

 

However, if you or a loved one is worried or has any concerns, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Concerns Team is available to discuss this with you. The Concerns Team is open from 7.30am to 4pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 7.30am to 6pm on Wednesday.

To contact the Concerns Team, you can:

Email: concerns@wales.nhs.uk  
Telephone: 029 218 36318 

You can also write to us via Chief Executive, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Woodland House, Maes y Coed Road, Cardiff CF14 4HH.  

If you live outside the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area, please contact your Health Board. A list of all Health Board’s in Wales can be found here.

 

I am worried about a blood transfusion I received before September 1991. What should I do?

The risk of contracting an infection following a blood transfusion is very low but if you are concerned about your risk you can access a free and confidential test for Hepatitis C and HIV from Public Health Wales here.

Further information about Hepatitis C is available on the Public Health Wales website here.

You can also check your symptoms on the NHS 111 Wales Symptom Checker here.

 

 

I am unsure about the timing of a blood transfusion. How can I find out?

If you are unsure if you received a blood transfusion before September 1991, you can contact Health Records to request a free copy of your health records:

Email: CAV.AccessToRecords@Wales.NHS.UK
Telephone: 029 2074 6500

You can also write to us via Health Records Department, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XW.

The Health Board is committed to supporting people who have questions about care and we will follow the Duty of Candour approach and share any available medical records upon request. We are committed to being open, transparent and honest with anyone who contacts us.   

If you live outside the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area, please contact your Health Board. A list of all Health Board’s in Wales can be found here.

 

I have recently received a blood transfusion. Am I at risk? 

All blood donations in the UK are routinely tested for a range of potential infections, including Hepatitis B, C and E, and HIV. This means the likelihood of contracting an infection from a blood transfusion is extremely low.

Since 1985 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for HIV and since September 1991 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for Hepatitis C.

You can find out more information on the safety and screening of blood on the Blood Health National Oversight Group website here or NHS Blood and Transplant website here.

 

Is it safe to receive a blood transfusion, blood product or donated organ now?

Blood and blood components are donated by healthy, unpaid volunteers and the risk of an infected unit getting into the UK blood supply is extremely low.

Donors complete a health questionnaire every time they donate and blood donations are tested every time for a range of potential infections. This makes the chance of transmitting any infection extremely low.

Since 1985 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for HIV and since September 1991 all blood donated in the UK has been routinely tested for Hepatitis C.

You can find out more information on the safety and screening of blood on the Blood Health National Oversight Group website here or NHS Blood and Transplant website here.

Before 1992 donated organs were not routinely screened for Hepatitis C and there is a very small risk a donated organ from someone with Hepatitis C could spread the infection. 

 

Myself or a loved one is infected or affected. What support is available?

Bleeding Disorder Network Wales

If you would like support regarding any issues raised by the Infected Blood Inquiry, please contact the Bleeding Disorder Network Wales team at the Haemophilia Centre in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. 

They have set up a dedicated phone line and e-mail to support patients and their families affected and infected by contaminated blood products across Wales. These will operate Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.

Email: BDNW.InfectedBloodInquiry.Cav@wales.nhs.uk    
Telephone: 0800 952 0055  

The team will respond to your call and provide as much help as possible tailored to your individual needs. You will be directed accordingly to appropriate services to include psychological support, social support and wellbeing support. They will also be able to signpost you to access medical records.

Alternatively, you can contact Haemophilia Wales via info@haemophiliawales.org or through their online contact form here.

Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme (WIBSS)

The Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme (WIBSS) aims to provide support to people who have been infected with Hepatitis C and/or HIV as a result of NHS treatment with blood in Wales.

It aims to provide a streamlined financial payment service, a welfare advice service and a psychology and wellbeing service for Welsh beneficiaries and their families.

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales run their own individual registered schemes. In Wales, anyone who was administered with infected transfusion in a Welsh hospital, regardless of current residence, can apply to be on the Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme.

To be registered on a scheme, you will have:

• To complete an application form which you can find on the WIBSS website;
• To have had the application endorsed by a medical professional;
• To have demonstrated evidence of a transfusion delivered by the NHS in Wales prior to September 1991;
• To provide evidence of Hepatitis C and / or HIV infection.
  

If you think you may be eligible to apply for support, please contact the team on 02921 500 900 or email wibss@wales.nhs.uk.

The UK Government is establishing a single Infected Blood Compensation Scheme to oversee all relevant compensation claims for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

As the work to establish the single scheme progresses, the Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme will continue to manage the service and is there to support you. Please follow the WIBSS website for further updates here.

 

Infected Blood Inquiry

The Infected Blood Inquiry is also funding a confidential support service for anyone affected by treatment with infected blood or blood products. This is run by a team from the British Red Cross who have been working with the Inquiry since September 2018.

 

You can contact the confidential support service directly by calling 0800 458 9473 or 0203 417 0280 at these times:

• Monday between 11am and 1pm
• Wednesday between 7pm and 9pm
• Friday between 2pm and 4pm

More information can be found at on the Infected Blood Inquiry website here.

 

Should I continue to give blood? 

The Welsh Blood Service oversees services in Wales and donating blood is one of the most selfless gifts you can give to another person. 

By giving blood, you are potentially saving lives and helping patients with specific conditions recover and lead a normal life.  

You can find out more about giving blood at the Welsh Blood Service website here.