ITV documentary to look at the devastating truth behind the infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s.
Over 30,000 individuals contracted HIV and Hepatitis C due to receiving contaminated blood products and transfusions, an event described as the ‘worst medical disaster in NHS history’.
Killer in the Blood: The Boarding School Scandal (w/t) centres on the tragic personal stories of the haemophiliac children at the Lord Mayor Treloar School in Hampshire, who were sent to the specialist boarding school with the promise of a ‘normal childhood’ but instead became victims of secret medical research which left many of them with Hepatitis and HIV.
Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual ITV said:
“As they continue their fight for justice, the raw truth of how thousands were affected by the 1970s and 1980s infected blood scandal is told by some of the last remaining victims themselves in this emotional documentary. It’s shocking how these men have suffered all these years from something that was covered up and could have been prevented.”
The 24 hour care on offer at Treloar’s should have given haemophiliacs the chance at a normal childhood and school life, where previously they had been restricted by the physical risks of their condition. In the late 1970s an NHS haemophiliac unit was opened at the school, which meant the boys could rapidly receive a revolutionary treatment – Factor Eight – on site.
The pupils and their parents thought Factor Concentrates were a miracle cure when, in fact, they were a death sentence for many and led to the co-infection of around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders with HIV and Hepatitis C, and another 2,400 to 5,000 people developing Hepatitis C on its own.
Of the 122 haemophiliacs who attended Treloar’s in the 1970s and 1980s, only around 30 are still alive today. The documentary shares the deeply personal testimonies of these survivors, now men in their 50s, who have spent decades fighting for truth and justice.
Anna Hall, Executive Producer Candour Productions said:
“Killer in the Blood: The Boarding School Scandal (W/T) shows the devastating effect first hand of a lifetime spent unearthing what happened to our survivors when they were just children. We are so humbled to have worked with the four men in this film who wanted to make this in honour of their school friends who died, so that the truth would finally be told.”
The documentary will be produced by Candour Productions for ITV.
