Dr Kate Wood, Group Chief Medical Officer for NHS Humber Health Partnership, said:
“Firstly, I would like to express my most sincere sympathies to everyone who received infected blood products at our local hospitals between the 1970s and the early 1990s. We acknowledge that for those affected this was a catastrophic event, with devastating consequences, not only for those patients but also their families and loved ones. We are extremely sorry that this happened, and for any instances where patients did not receive the level of care they rightly expected from us.
“I would like to stress that today, blood transfusions in the UK are extremely safe due to thorough testing for infections and the use of volunteer blood donors who undergo a rigorous screening process.
“We accept the findings of this inquiry and where we can learn from the experiences of our patients, their families and our predecessors, we will.”
NHS Humber Health Partnership:
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
Additional information:
- Patients who are concerned about a possible hepatitis C infection, can book a home NHS test online. The tests are free and confidential. To receive a self-testing kit, visit hepctest.nhs.uk.
- Blood testing is also offered by NHS Humber Health Partnership. If you are concerned that you may have received contaminated blood products, or if you are calling to request a blood test as a result of concerns raised by the inquiry report, please call: Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on (01482) 623065 or Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS FT on (03033) 306518.
- Hepatitis B is also linked to infected blood, this usually clears up on its own without treatment, but could develop into chronic hepatitis B. Patients can find out more information here – hepatitis B information
- HIV testing is also provided to anyone free of charge on the NHS. Home testing and home sampling kits are also available. You can find out more about HIV testing and the HIV testing services search tool on the NHS website.
- Patients who want more details about the safety of blood from donations in England can find more information here: https://www.blood.co.uk/the-donation-process/further-information/your-safety/
Notes for editors:
- People may be concerned about their own health following recent media coverage. A new online resource has been established for patients and the public to find help and support – https://nhs.uk/infected-blood-support
- Since 1991, all blood donated in the UK is screened and distributed by NHS Blood and Transplant following rigorous safety standards and testing to protect both donors and patients.
- Since testing has been introduced, the risk of getting an infection from a blood transfusion or blood products is very low.
- All blood donors are screened at every donation and every donation is tested before it is sent to hospitals. Blood services and blood safety has been transformed, not only in terms of technological advances in testing but also in the way donors are recruited and checked they are safe to donate.
- Given the time that has elapsed since the last use of infected blood products, most of those who were directly affected have been identified and started appropriate treatment. However, there may be a small number of patients where this is not the case, and particularly where they are living with asymptomatic hepatitis C