Current projects

The statutory Infected Blood Inquiry (IBI), launched in July 2018, is investigating the circumstances that led to individuals becoming infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C as a result of treatment with NHS blood/blood products and affected families during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Inquiry has heard significant evidence of many health, emotional, social, educational and financial challenges in the lives of people infected or affected by NHS-supplied infected blood or blood products. These effects include, in many cases, loss and bereavement. It found that there is limited dedicated psychological support in England for infected and affected people.

Little is known about the current psychological needs of survivors and their relatives but there is awareness that this group might require additional support as the Inquiry concludes, with the final report expected in autumn 2023. This study aims to better understand what people think about psychological, counselling and wellbeing services, how they are used, their usefulness, and what they might look like in future.

The study aims to assess the nature and scope of the need for psychological support for individuals and their families affected by NHS-supplied infected blood and blood products. Specifically, we seek to

(1) understand the current need for psychological support for individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C as a result of treatment with NHS blood/blood products and affected families, and how this need changes as the IBI concludes and the Government responds to its recommendations.

(2) determine the extent to which existing psychological support services are able to meet the needs of individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and affected families, and explore the routes they are taking in order to access support.

(3) understand the experiences of individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and affected families when accessing psychological support services, and the barriers or enablers they encountered in doing so.

(4) assess the experiences of practitioners providing psychological support services to individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and affected families, and their understanding of how to meet the specific needs of this group.

(5) explore what else would be needed to meet the psychological support needs of individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and affected families.

The study has two elements, exploring: (i) the demand for; and (ii) the supply of psychological support to individuals historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and/or their families. We use mainly in-depth interviews with infected/affected individuals, to understand their views on psychological and other therapeutic support and their experiences of using (or not using) such services. We will also interview providers and commissioners of mental health services in England for interview to understand their perceptions of the existing offer of psychological support to people historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C and/or family members of affected individuals, and their views on how these should look like to meet affected individuals’ needs. In addition, we will interview providers and commissioners of psychological support services for infected/affected people in the devolved nations (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales).