Beyond life on the streets – the Homeless Veterans appeal

. With the help of a survey of all those affected by the tragedy, produced with the generous help of YouGov and the Haemophilia Society, we have carried out the most comprehensive appraisal to date of the trust-based system of provision. Our findings our wide-ranging. But most particularly, we highlight that: • Many beneficiaries are in poverty. At present, the widows/widowers of Hepatitis C infectees receive no ongoing financial support whatsoever. The majority of people with Hepatitis C – namely, those with chronic (“Stage 1”) Hepatitis C – also receive no ongoing payments. • People can apply for discretionary payments for all manner of items through the three charities. But many find the process of having to provide evidence of “need” for this help deeply frustrating and onerous – they feel like they are “begging.” • Registrants report being left completely in the dark about what discretionary support is available to them. This has meant some people have not received payments they were entitled to. Many more people with Hepatitis C are not even aware of the trusts’ existence, with considerable issues of low take-up. • Many people with Hepatitis C are also unable to obtain payments from their trusts because the NHS has lost their hospital records, or because the trust has denied they are at the sufficient “stage” of Hepatitis C infection to warrant support – even though their own NHS hepatologists have insisted they are. • Successive Governments have expanded support haphazardly, with no attempt to assess holistically what precisely people need. Consequently financial payments are set at an arbitrary level and do not account for the additional costs of living with HIV or Hepatitis C; and the three charities are not properly-funded year-on-year in line with the needs or numbers of their beneficiaries. The recommendations we make in light of these findings are comprehensive. Amongst other things, we recommend that the Government second a public health doctor to the five trusts to ascertain the needs of beneficiaries, and set Government funding at the level commensurate with the need. This also means extending some form of ongoing payments to those with Stage 1 Hepatitis C, and giving the widows of Hepatitis C infectees entitlement to the same payments as those of HIV infectees. The trust system should also be reformed, and nobody should be left in the dark: they should be told precisely what support is available to them, and those facing difficulties providing proof they were infected should also be able to get help with their applications. There should also be arrangements to promote a better working relationships between the trusts and beneficiaries, including infectee representation on the trusts, an external form of appeal for decisions over discretionary support and more stable funding for the charities. To round this off, we think there should be a public apology from the Prime Minister for the scandal. Many of the almost 1000 people affected who responded to our appeal for information sent in written accounts. They were often detailed, harrowing and at times deeply moving. Their stories have convinced my colleagues in the APPG and I that some changes are desperately needed to help finally achieve closure. In conjunction with other moves currently in motion, we hope that it will all add up to something approaching a full and final settlement which will finally help those affected live the rest of their lives in dignity. Diana Johnson MP is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood, which has just published a report into the current support for individuals affected by the contaminated blood scandal. There will be a Backbench Business Debate on the issue on Thursday 15 January. .