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Partner seeks justice over infected blood death

Nikki Fox
BBC health correspondent, East of England
Shaun Whitmore/BBC A head and shoulders image of a woman with very short peroxide blonde hair and wearing a black shirt, with a blurred background of a kitchenShaun Whitmore/BBC
Heidi Boulton said it made her angry to see Geoff so ill

The partner of a man who believed he was a victim of the NHS contaminated blood scandal has said their fight for justice had been "horrendous".

Businessman James Stalker, who was known as Geoff, learned he had Hepatitis C three years after a blood transfusion at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in 1989. He died last year, aged 69, after developing cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Heidi Boulton said he had been "going against a brick wall" searching for answers and compensation due to missing medical records.

A hospital spokesperson said: "We are aware of this case and continue to liaise fully with Mr Stalker's family and the coroner."

Ms Boulton said she was determined to "carry on the fight".

Heidi Boulton Grey haired man in a pale blue short sleeved shirt smiles to someone to one side while sitting at a table dotted with wine glasses and platesHeidi Boulton
Geoff Stalker had owned oil and gas businesses with a turnover of more than £50m

Mr Stalker needed a blood transfusion after a car accident and was given his Hepatitis C diagnosis after donating blood himself.

"In those early days he thought he was going to die, it really affected him," said Ms Boulton, who lives in Ormesby St Margaret, near Great Yarmouth.

"It was something we just lived with, especially in the last 10 years, living this constant battle of hospitals, doctors, going in for a few days, then him collapsing, having seizures," added Ms Boulton.

"It's been horrendous."

Heidi Boulton A view in profile of a man in a tuxedo and and black bow tie and woman in a white dress giving each other a peck on the lips Heidi Boulton
Geoff and Heidi became a couple a decade after his blood transfusion

Mr Stalker made repeated attempts to get information on his transfusion as the NHS infected blood scandal emerged.

The couple lost their businesses and lifestyle as his health deteriorated, with Ms Boulton becoming his full-time carer.

His applications for the £210,000 compensation he was entitled to failed due to a lack of information from the hospital, said Ms Boulton.

"He tried his best to find out how many people had been affected, get medical records, he was going against a brick wall," she added.

"It makes me angry because I saw how ill he was, through now fault of his own, he was given this disease.

"It was all we ever talked about, it just seemed to be the major thing in our lives.

"I want to carry on the fight, that's all I can do - justice for Geoff."

The Norwich and Norwich University Hospital confirmed Mr Stalker's records from 1989 had been destroyed, in compliance with NHS guidelines, when his medical records were converted into a digital format in 2015.

They said this preceded advice from the contaminated blood inquiry to retain records.

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