If you or a loved one have suffered due to receiving infected or contaminated blood, contact National Accident Helpline about making a no-win no fee claim.
What are blood transfusions?
Blood transfusions are when a hospital such as an NHS hospital carries out a procedure to give a patient blood. The blood comes from another person who is the blood donor.
Why might a patient receive a blood transfusion?
Someone may receive a blood transfusion from a hospital as part of a procedure or surgery. In some cases it is required to save a patient's life. A person may receive a blood donation:
- due to an accident such as a major trauma
- as a result of childbirth
- in response to or part of surgery where major trauma occurs
- as part of cancer treatment
- to help sickle cell disease
- to treat haemophilia
What are the possible risks involved in blood transfusions?
Whilst you may be aware that blood transfusions are a life-saving process, they can also be a danger to life. There are several risks involved in blood transfusions such as a risk of:
- developing sepsis
- receiving the wrong blood group type in an incompatible blood transfusion
- receiving contaminated or infected blood
What can happen if blood is infected or contaminated?
If a person receives infected or contaminated blood as a result of medical negligence, they could be subjected to infections or disease such as:
- HIV
- Hep A, B or C
Receiving contaminated or infected blood through a blood transfusion can have life-altering effects. You could, for example:
- get liver cirrhosis
- get liver cancer
- need a liver transplant
- get diseases such as anaplasmosis, brucellosis or ehrlichiosis
How can blood become contaminated?
Blood can become contaminated when you undergo a blood transfusion for several reasons. These include:
- lack of strict testing and scrutiny of blood products
- using infected equipment
- when a donor has gram-negative bacteria in the blood but show no signs of this
- bacteria from a blood donor's skin passing into the blood through the needle collecting it
Who is eligible for contaminated blood compensation?
If you have received contaminated blood through a blood transfusion, you may be able to make a compensation claim. It is one of the most common types of blood transfusion medical negligence claims.
Can I claim against the NHS for blood transfusion negligence?
It may be possible to make a compensation claim against the NHS for blood transfusion negligence. This is not limited to when you have received contaminated or infected blood through a transfusion but can also be when you:
- received the wrong blood group type
- were given a blood transfusion by mistake
- did not give consent to a blood transfusion
The NHS has a duty of care towards their patients. This includes ensuring the treatment they offer you is accurate and safe. When they fail to do this they may be deemed as negligent and you could make a claim.
What is the infected blood enquiry?
As a victim of GP and hospital negligence, you may hear of the infected blood enquiry. This relates to a blood scandal affecting people who received a blood transfusion in the 1970s and 1980s, when contaminated blood was given to patients through NHS blood transfusions.
The contamination was caused by manufacturing practices which are not safe. No one organisation admitted fault.
What is the infected blood support scheme?
As a victim of GP and hospital negligence, you might wonder what the infected blood support scheme is. This is a payment scheme which the government is in charge of and allows victims of the blood scandal - so those who had a blood transfusion before September 1991 - to receive compensation from a fund.
How much compensation could I receive for my contaminated blood transfusion claim?
If you make a compensation claim for a contaminated blood transfusion, you may wonder how much you can claim. This depends primarily on:
- individual circumstances
- your blood type
- how the contaminated blood transfusion affects your health
- how your livelihood has been affected by the transfusion
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Can the amount of compensation vary?
If you make a compensation claim for hospital negligence as a result of a contaminated blood transfusion, the amount of compensation a person can receive can vary. This is due to the differing reasons that can occur for the blood transfusion compensation claim such as for:
- infected or contaminated blood
- an incorrect transfusion receiving an incompatible blood group type
- receiving a blood transfusion without consent.
As the reason for blood transfusions vary, the effects do too; the effects are part of what determines the amount of compensation you may receive.
Can I claim compensation for infected blood on behalf of someone else?
In addition to the receiver of the infected blood making a claim, it may be possible to make a compensation claim for infected blood on behalf of someone else. You can do this where:
- the person who received the infected or contaminated blood transfusion has passed away and you are the executor of their estate and
- if you are a family member affected by a contaminated blood transfusion which makes you a secondary victim.
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One of our paralegals, Ethan's job is to help build the best possible compensation claims for our customers.
View profileMeet the teamCan I file a claim on a no-win no fee basis?
If you are a victim of medical negligence, you are likely traumatised and have suffered effects as a result. Your infected or contaminated blood transfusion may have meant you had to change aspects of your daily life including work. So, as a result of your experience of GP and hospital negligence you may justifiably want to make a compensation claim.
At National Accident Helpline, you can claim on a no-win no fee basis. What this means is that when you claim medical negligence for an infected or contaminated blood transfusion, it eliminates any financial risk on your behalf. If you don't win, you won't pay a thing.
Frequently asked questions...
Legal aid was a method of covering the cost of going to court and getting a fair hearing. In 2000, legal aid was made unavailable for personal injury cases, and instead no win no fee or conditional fee agreements were introduced.
All of our solicitors can help you to make your claim on a no win no fee basis, which means that if your case isn't successful you won't pay a penny.
If your case is successful, you'll pay a fee to your solicitor as a percentage of the amount you receive, and this percentage will have been agreed before starting your claim.
Find out more about legal aid and no win no fee here.
There are no upfront costs or unexpected fees when you start your claim with us. Our advice is free and your solicitor will work on a no win no fee basis, meaning that you won't pay a penny for your claim unless it is successful.
If your claim is successfully settled, you'll pay some legal costs to your solicitor from your compensation. These will be agreed between you and your solicitor before you start your claim, so there will be no surprises.
Read more about no win no fee.
Yes, we're able to help with holiday accident claims . Your hotel, the hotel staff and every company you encounter on your travels all have a duty of care to provide you with a safe service.
How long after receiving the negligent treatment can I start my claim?
If you decide to claim for negligent treatment from either GP negligence or hospital negligence, there is a legal timeframe within which you need to start your claim. This applies to all personal injury or medical negligence claims.
You must have started the claim no more than three years from the date of the medical negligence injury or the date you realised medical negligence had occurred, which is the date of knowledge.
You should note that this is different when you are claiming medical negligence for a child. In this case, you can make the claim any time until their 18th birthday. Following this, as an adult having reached 18 years old, they can make their own claim, and they have three years to do so.
How long could my infected blood claim take to settle?
If you wonder how long it may take to settle your infected blood claim, it is like any other medical negligence claim as it depends on specific factors such as:
- how serious the effects are
- whether the hospital accepts that they are at fault or disputes this
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Will I need to go to court to contest my infected blood negligent claim?
When you make your infected blood negligence claim you may wonder if you will need to go to court to contest the medical negligence claim.
The short answer is that it is unlikely. When a person makes a medical negligence claim, it is very unusual for them to personally have to go to court. A court date may initially be set but often those you believe are medically negligent will admit it is their fault so court attendance is no longer required.
In fact, at National Accident Helpline, 95% of our personal injury and medical negligence claims are settled out of court.
Why choose National Accident Helpline to assist with my claim?
If you have been infected with contaminated blood through a blood transfusion, you may be due compensation. National Accident Helpline can help you claim for medical negligence. If the contaminated blood has occurred through GP and hospital negligence the NHS may be at fault, and if you choose National Accident Helpline, we can get you the compensation you rightly deserve.
One of our many helpful and experienced advisors will symathetially listen to what happened in terms of your negligent blood transfusion and want to help you with any compensation you may be able to claim. Our specialist medical negligence solicitors have plenty of experience in medical negligence claims, so you can trust us with your compensation claim.
Let National Accident Helpline help you claim medical negligence today. Give us a us a call at . If it's easier, you can request a call back here or even begin your claim online.
How can I start a contaminated blood compensation claim?
With National Accident Helpline, it is simple to start your compensation claim for your infected or contaminated blood compensation claim.
Just call us today at or if you prefer to do things online, our claims process online is here.
You may wish to gain an idea of how much compensation you may get with us, and in that case you can calculate your potential compensation online by using our compensation calculator.
When you choose National Accident Helpline to make your contaminated blood compensation claim, initially we look into how the medical negligence occurred.
Once we understand your situation, our specialist medical negligence solicitors will finalise your compensation claim. All that is left is for you to wait for that compensation you deserve.
If you have unfortunately received infected or contaminated blood through a blood transfusion, you could be due compensation for medical negligence, so give us a call today on to start your medical negligence compensation claim immediately. You can also request a call back here , or you can start your claim online.