- Joan Edgington is a respected member of the infected blood community
- Along with the Chair, Clive Smith, she will be involved in selecting members to sit on the committee
- The community will have the opportunity to meet both the Chair and Vice-Chair at a commemorative event later in the Autumn
Infected blood campaigner Joan Edgington will be appointed Vice Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee. She will join Clive Smith in chairing the Committee to determine the best way to memorialise all those impacted by the scandal.
Joan Edgington was infected with Hepatitis C as part of the infected blood scandal and has been a core witness to the Infected Blood Inquiry. She is also a member of the Infected Blood Psychological Service Committee.
This follows on from the appointment of Clive Smith as Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee in July. Mr Smith, a qualified barrister and President of the Haemophilia Society, working alongside Mrs Edginton, will work to create a fitting and long-lasting memorial.
This project includes plans for a UK-wide national memorial, as well as additional memorials in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Incoming Vice Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee Joan Edgington said
Having been infected in 1991 with Hepatitis C, I became part of the campaigning in the 1990s. Following the conclusion of the groundbreaking Infected Blood Inquiry, the community is at last able to plan a fitting memorial to those thousands who have been impacted throughout the decades.
It is an enormous honour to be part of this team as we reflect on all that was lost, tempered only by knowing lessons were learnt and safeguards are being put in place, and a duty of candour is to be embedded into public service to ensure that such a scandal can never happen again.
As well as looking back, the Infected Blood community can finally begin to look forward to creating a fitting memorial and site where the Nation can meet to remember, reflect and be proud of the positive change this decades-long struggle has created.
Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee Clive Smith said
Joan’s work alongside many others infected as a result of blood transfusions has been invaluable in getting to this stage.
Joan’s appointment as Vice Chair is an important step in ensuring the Committee is representative of the whole community.
We look forward to the remainder of the Committee being appointed so that we can begin our important role in creating the memorials.
The Government will continue to make further appointments to the Committee that recognise the different transmission routes and breadth of the experiences of those affected and infected by the Scandal.
The Government is also paying compensation to victims of the scandal. As of 23 September, a total of 3,590 people have been asked to start their claim, and of this number, 3,284 have started the claim process. So far, 1,926 people have received an offer, and the total value of offers made is £1,416,628,612.76.