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Penrose Inquiry

Completed
Chair Lord Penrose Judge / Judiciary
Established 01 Apr 2009
Final Report 25 Mar 2015
Commissioned by Scottish Government

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

Evidence & Impact
The Penrose Inquiry was established in 2009 to examine NHS Scotland's response to HIV and Hepatitis C infections from blood products. Lord Penrose published his final report on 25 March 2015, making a single recommendation regarding testing for Hepatitis C.

The inquiry's sole recommendation focused on offering Hepatitis C testing to specific groups who may have been exposed through blood products. While no formal government response was published, the Scottish Government established a Short-Life Working Group involving Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to develop a testing programme.

According to progress updates, a testing programme was established by December 2015. The specific details of this programme's scope, reach and outcomes are not detailed in the available evidence.

The limited scope of the Penrose Inquiry's recommendations - a single testing recommendation - contrasts with the broader issues examined during the inquiry process. The progress update notes that the subsequent UK-wide Infected Blood Inquiry, which reported in 2024, made more comprehensive recommendations covering compensation and systemic reforms.

The available evidence indicates that the Scottish Government accepted the recommendation and that a testing programme was established within nine months of the report's publication. However, the public record provides limited detail about the programme's implementation, effectiveness, or long-term operation beyond the initial establishment phase.
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 single recommendation
Generated 18 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
5 years, 11 months Duration
£12m Total Cost
Government Response
Accepted 1
Total Recommendations 1
Data last updated: 31 Dec 2015 · Source
Data verified: 30 Jan 2026 (Claude)
How to read this

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

Full methodology

4 questions since Feb 2017
Written Question Equitable Life Assurance Society
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted (Liberal Democrat)
25 Nov 2021
Written Question Equitable Life Assurance Society
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted (Liberal Democrat)
08 Nov 2021
Written Question Blood: Contamination
Diana Johnson (Labour)
27 Feb 2017
Written Question Blood: Contamination
Diana Johnson (Labour)
27 Feb 2017
All Activity (4)
Title Volume Publication Date Recs Links
The Penrose Inquiry Final Report Final 25 Mar 2015 1
01 Apr 2008
Inquiry Announced
01 Apr 2009
Inquiry Established
25 Mar 2015
Final Report Published
Clear

Recommendations (1)

PENROSE-1
Accepted
HCV Testing for Pre-1991 Transfusion Recipients
Recommendation

The Scottish Government takes all reasonable steps to offer an HCV test to everyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before September 1991 and who has not been tested for HCV.

Published evidence summary
The Scottish Government established a Short-Life Working Group (SLWG) with Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to implement the HCV testing recommendation (gov.scot, 2015). A progress report from this SLWG, published in September 2016, detailed actions taken regarding the recommendation on infection of people with Hepatitis C from NHS treatment (gov.scot, 2016). While the government's internal progress tracker indicated a testing programme was established by December 2015, no further published evidence has been identified since 2016.
Scottish Government (Primary)
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