The taintedblood Timeline  -  what really happened...

In a letter to William Connon of the Department of Health, Dr. Charles RM Hay, Chairman of the UKHCDO, expresses concerns that if the funding for recombinant for the 2006-7 financial year is not forthcoming, then there is likely to be considerable patient protest, with multiple judicial reviews and other legal activity, that will inevitably cause complete chaos both for the Department of Health and for Haemophilia Centre Directors.

Dr Hay states that, "Many centre directors are already fighting a low grade guerrilla war with patient activists who want a hepatitis C enquiry and who are reporting their centre directors to the GMC and manipulating both newspapers and television."

Dr Hay also points out that BPL have cut back their production of plasma-derived factor VIII and other manufacturers have removed their plasma-derived factor VIII from the UK market altogether.

At a reception hosted by Lord Morris of Manchester in the House of Lords, the Minister of State for Public Health, Caroline Flint MP, announces in a speech that 'recombinant for all' will continue in 2006-7.

Note: The speech contains no mention of the 'behind-the-scenes' perspective of Dr Charles RM Hay, chairman of the UKHCDO, who in correspondence to William Connon, expresses fears of considerable patient protest and in particular, states that he hopes "DoH will look upon your bid for recombinant financing favourably, because the alternative is almost too awful to contemplate".