Thousands of survivors of the infected blood scandal will be given compensation payments of £100,000, the government has announced, but campaigners have said the majority of those affected have been ignored.

Outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson said he wanted the money to be paid to victims and their surviving partners, labelling it the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

Campaigners said the announcement fails to recognise most family members affected by the scandal, who will miss out on this raft of interim payments.

The fiasco resulted in an estimated 2,400 deaths of patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s, including at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

Final recommendations from a public inquiry on compensation for a wider group of people – such as bereaved parents and the children of victims – are expected next year.

The government said it intends to make payments to those who have been infected and bereaved partners by the end of October.

Mr Johnson said: “While nothing can make up for the pain and suffering endured by those affected by this tragic injustice, we are taking action to do right by victims and those who have tragically lost their partners by making sure they receive these interim payments as quickly as possible.

“We will continue to stand by all those impacted by this horrific tragedy, and I want to personally pay tribute to all those who have so determinedly fought for justice.”

Most of those involved had the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia and relied on regular injections of the US product Factor VIII to survive. They were unaware they were receiving contaminated Factor VIII from people who were paid to donate, including prisoners and drug addicts. Patients were given the product for years despite repeated warnings at the top of government.

Jason Evans, Founder of Factor 8, a non-profit group campaigning for victims of the scandal and their families, said: “The PM has said today that ‘we will continue to stand by all those impacted by this horrific tragedy’, but they are doing nothing to help most families. It’s yet another scandal within the scandal.

“Likewise, Steve Barclay tells us today that ‘work is under way to ensure those impacted by this tragedy receive the support they rightly deserve’, and the message today is that for most families what they deserve right now is nothing.”