Britains infected blood Scandel

Worst ever treatment scandal in NHS history': Infected blood report finds 'chilling' cover-up that led to sick children being treated like 'guinea pigs' in secret trials and 3,000 avoidable deaths

The infected blood scandal was 'not an accident' but the result of a series of shocking failures followed by a 'pervasive' cover-up, a scathing report into the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history concluded today.

More than 3,000 have died and many continue to suffer after tens of thousands of vulnerable patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis from contaminated blood products during the 1970s and early 1990s.

A damning report today identifies a litany of failures covering multiple governments, prominent politicians and health organisations, with victims repeatedly lied to, misled and ignored, and children treated like 'objects for research'.