Inquiries Penrose Inquiry Reported

Penrose Inquiry

Scottish inquiry into infection of NHS patients with Hepatitis C and HIV from contaminated blood products.

Where it stands

The Penrose Inquiry Final Report was published on 25 March 2015. The most recent government response on the record is Penrose Inquiry (ministerial statement), Meeting of the Parliament, 26 March 2015, dated 26 March 2015.

ChairLord PenroseJudge / Judiciary
Commissioned byScottish Government
Established13 Jan 2009
Final report25 Mar 2015
Duration6 years, 2 months
Total reported cost£12m
Announced 23 Apr 2008
Final report 25 Mar 2015
Recommendations 1 tracked

Reports & recommendations

All 1 recommendations →
1 recommendation

Government response

Accepted 1
Latest statement by addressee
Scottish Government says completed: 1

"No statement found" means none was found in the sources searched, last checked 30 January 2026. Each figure is the latest statement from the body the recommendation is addressed to. Other bodies’ findings are shown on each recommendation and do not change these figures.

Data last updated: 11 Sep 2025 · Source
Checked against sources: 30 Jan 2026
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

Evidence & Impact

The Penrose Inquiry was established in April 2009 to examine NHS Scotland's involvement in the use of infected blood and blood products, particularly relating to HIV and hepatitis C transmission through blood transfusions and blood products between 1970 and 1991. Lord Penrose published his final report on 25 March 2015.

The inquiry made a single recommendation: that the Scottish Government should take steps to offer testing for hepatitis C to anyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before September 1991 and who had not already been tested.

While no formal government response was published, the Scottish Government established a Short-Life Working Group with Health Protection Scotland and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to develop a testing programme. According to progress updates, this testing programme was established by December 2015.

The limited scope of the Penrose Inquiry's recommendations drew criticism from some affected individuals and campaigners who had hoped for broader findings on accountability and compensation. The progress update notes that the subsequent UK-wide Infected Blood Inquiry, which reported in 2024, made more comprehensive recommendations covering compensation schemes and systemic reforms.

The available evidence indicates that the single recommendation regarding hepatitis C testing was acted upon through the establishment of a testing programme. However, the broader issues of infected blood and blood products continued to be examined through the later UK-wide inquiry, which addressed matters beyond the narrow remit of the Penrose Inquiry.
Reforms Attributed to This Inquiry
- Testing programme for hepatitis C established by Health Protection Scotland and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service following the inquiry's recommendation
Summary written by the tracker with AI assistance, 26 March 2026. Not part of the inquiry record; indicative, not authoritative.