Imperial experts provide economic perspective to the Infected Blood Inquiry

Imperial researchers have contributed to an independent inquiry looking at the impacts on UK patients who were given infected blood products.

The Infected Blood Inquiry was set up in 2018 to examine the circumstances in which treatment and blood transfusions provided by the UK national health services were contaminated with HIV and hepatitis between 1970 and 1991. 

The Inquiry commissioned a number of reports about the impact of infections consequent to the use of infected blood and blood products, including from the Psychosocial Expert Group and the Statistics Expert Group. The report published today by the Health Economics Expert Group endeavours to examine and quantify the economic and health costs to the extent that those costs can be estimated.  

The Health Economics Expert Group is co-chaired by Professor Katharina Hauck of Imperial College London and Professor Paul McCrone of Greenwich University leading the quantitative analysis.

We estimated the economics costs of lives that were not lived, and lives not lived to their full potential. To me, that was one of the most rewarding – but also saddest - research I ever did. Prof Katharina Hauck

The infections had lasting and wide reaching financial and economic impacts over the whole life of those that survive and for their families, apart from the direct impact on ill health and early deaths. Affected individuals could not work or work to their full potential, their children had their education interrupted and loved ones had to stop working to care for them which affected their quality of lives. 

Professor Katharina Hauck and team estimated three impacts: health- and social-care costs to the NHS and individuals, income loss to the infected and their informal carers, and lost health due to earlier death and ill-health. The impacts were estimated for both Hepatitis C and HIV for modeled life trajectories between 1970 and 2021. 

The team estimated the health and social care costs range between £900 million and £1.6 billion. The productivity costs in terms of lost income was estimated between £900 million and £2.6 billion. The total loss in healthy life years due to ill health and early deaths ranges between 70,000 and 200,000 Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs).

The qualitative economic analysis led by Professor Myfanwy Morgan of Kings College London examined the witness statements complementing the quantitative analysis. This allowed a more detailed understanding of the varied financial, educational and employment related impacts from the point of view of the affected individuals.

Professor Katharina Hauck of Imperial College London said: "We estimated the economics costs of lives that were not lived, and lives not lived to their full potential. To me, that was one of the most rewarding – but also saddest - research I ever did."