Death in the Blood: the most shocking scandal in NHS history from the journalist who has followed the story for over two decades

by Caroline Wheeler

'A gripping narrative, strengthened by Wheeler's longstanding connection to the story' Financial Times

'Moving, angering' The Times

In the 1970s and 1980s almost 5,000 haemophiliacs were infected with HIV or hepatitis C after being given contaminated NHS blood products. So far more than 2,800 people are known to have died in what has been described as the 'worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS'.

Sunday Times political editor Caroline Wheeler has been reporting on the scandal for two decades. She has been pivotal to the campaign for justice for the victims, whose stories form the heart of this book. As the long-running Infected Blood Inquiry delivers its final verdict Death in the Blood is an unforgettable epic of human suffering, loss and survival against the odds.

'Caroline has been so supportive to the victims and survivors of the NHS contaminated blood scandal. She has been an integral part of our long fight for justice and enabled people like me to speak out with confidence, when there was little confidence before' Ade Goodyear, former pupil at Treloar School

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Science, Medicine

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star 🌟 - struggling for words to describe this book. Absolutely harrowing story, unbelievable and got to be the biggest scandal in modern British history, the injustice is unfathomable. Everyone should read this.

[Victoria Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it’s horrendous what the UK government has done and how it’s affected the lives of so many. This book brings to light a scandal that has been kept under wraps and has yet to be publicly known. This is a super important read at least to have the knowledge that this occurred. The lower rating is because I wish the structure of the book as a bit different as I became detached from the personal stories as information about trials were muddled within them. I wish personal stories were separated and the legal actions were separated. However, still a super important read and hope this gets the public awareness and the people affected get retribution.

[H · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book because it's such an interesting and important subject, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all. The writing was so repetitive and sensationalist that it stopped being engaging very quickly. It felt like the author had written a series of articles and put them into one book, rather than writing a book. 1* is the lowest I've ever rated a book, but I really really didn't enjoy it.

[Simon Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a timely reminder of the disaster that is the Infected Blood Scandal in the UK. A disaster the result of a combination of stupidity, ignorance, ineptitude, paternalism, arogance, and hubris.

Well written, if a little journalistic and repetitive in places, it is an engaging and enraging read.

[Tom Calvard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough account of one of the most devastating British scandals and tragedies in living memory, alongside Grenfell and Hillsborough.

It is likely to induce sadness and anger and fatigue in readers as each chapter tells a unique but familiar story of infection, cover-up, trauma, suffering, and death. But Wheeler writes with tireless compassion and dedication, keeping the victims centred while accessing and interviewing many other key players. Her own role in the campaign for justice was significant, spanning several decades of her journalistic career.

Given all the time that has passed and the scale and scope of the scandal, she does her best to tease out various causes, but some elements remain mysterious as to whether it was cock-up, cover-up, or a bit of both. Certainly, greedy pharmaceutical companies, compromised clinicians, and the inertia of various ministers and civil servants seem to have come together to hinder fairer treatment and support of the victims.

Hopefully, the book can continue to draw attention to the scandal in preventing something similar from happening again, with appropriate lessons being learned. The determination of campaigners and their political and media allies is grounds for some hope, at least.

[Julian Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is potentially a depressing subject matter as you see successive governments causing wanton health threats though chasing efficiency, this is a strangely uplifting tale - I read it as the courts were making their final verdicts, so it was perfect timing for me.

Brilliantly written so as to be informative and gripping, this is a fabulous read - about a subject it would be better not to have known.

A magnificent and timely book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook version)
An incredibly interesting book that goes into great detail about how the scandal occurred and the lives that were impacted. Recommended read for anyone in the UK.
As others have noted, there is repetition - I feel this would have been more frustrating in written format but wasn't too much of an issue in audio.

[Jessie Atack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline Wheeler is a journalist and she has worked on this story for many years so she has a good in-depth knowledge of the background, road to the inquiry and personal stories. The subtitle of this book is ‘The fight for Justice in the NHS infected blood scandal‘ and that sums up exactly what this book is about.
I found it very difficult to put down. Unlike some readers who have written reviews, I did not find the structure of the book difficult to follow and I think Caroline tells a very complex story in a very accessible way.
It is a scandal on many levels, haemophiliacs were let down in so many ways by the medical professionals and also politicians.
I very much recommend this book .

[Abbey Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly a harrowing and altogether important topic. I feel for those affected, and am ashamed of the system which allowed this to happen and which took so long to make any meaningful reparations…but this wasn’t written particularly well. Multiple typos, repetitive and disjointed chronology. Could definitely have been executed better.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important content that everyone should know about, writing could be repetitive at times but the book holds up well. As someone who works for the NHS it’s harrowing how these people were failed by a system meant to protect them.

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harrowing and well researched, but let down by a lack of structure and near constant repetition that was at best, padding and at worst, a book that felt as though it hadn’t seen the eyes of an editor.

[Miss A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a book everyone should read - the pure disregard for potential and actual human sufferings terrifying. The resilience and determined fight for justice by the infected and affected is humbling and inspiring. This must never be allowed to happen again.

[Mika · Rating 2 out of 5]

An extra star because this is a very important topic, but the writing and structure of the book are completely confused.

[William Sykes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A horrible story on how people can be absolutely destroyed by terrible policy’s and government neglect. Was engaged with the story but didn’t find the writing or structure overly grabbing.

[CK Yau · Rating 5 out of 5]

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