Blood-scandal orphan disappointed by government payouts

Lauren Palmer was nine when she lost both her parents within days of each other

A woman who lost both of her parents as a result of the NHS blood infection scandal says government payments have excluded "the most impacted families".

About 3,000 people have died since being given blood containing HIV and hepatitis C during the 1970s and 1980s.

People in England who lost partners are now automatically eligible for £10,000.

But the children of those affected, like Lauren Palmer, are entitled to nothing although the government says it will support survivors of infections.

Ms Palmer said the death of her parents in 1993 "completely destroyed" her family

Ms Palmer's parents died in hospital within eight days of each other in 1993 when she was aged nine.

Her father was a severe haemophiliac who was infected with hepatitis C and HIV from the contaminated Factor VIII blood product he had been treated with.

He unwittingly passed the infection on to Ms Palmer's mother.

"It completely destroyed my family," said Ms Palmer from Bristol.

"Not only did I lose my parents but I was separated from my immediate family, my brothers.

"It's been very, very emotionally and mentally very difficult and it's just impacted our lives until this day."

Ms Palmer said it had been "very difficult not having any kind of support or acknowledgement that this has happened" to her family

The Factor VIII blood clotting treatment was introduced to help people with bleeding disorders recover faster.

Much of the supply was imported from the US, from donors such as prison inmates and drug-users, who sold their blood.

About 5,000 people in the UK are believed to have been infected - but some estimates put the number at 30,000.

Last month, the government announced that partners in England affected by the scandal would receive the same payments as those in other parts of the UK.

In a statement, the government said: "We've always been clear that all those who have been affected by this tragedy should be supported by a fair and transparent support scheme that focuses on their welfare and long-term independence."

But the scheme does not include children or the parents of those affected.

Ms Palmer said it seemed to her "the most impacted families" had been excluded.

"If my mother was still alive, we would be receiving this support," she said.

"It's been very, very difficult not having any kind of support or acknowledgement that this has happened to my family."