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IBCA Community Update, 15 April, 2026 (HTML)

Published 15 April 2026

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Hello and welcome to your community update. 

This newsletter includes:

  • an update on compensation claims
  • the government’s response to Inquiry recommendations, and the consultation about the compensation scheme 
  • how to raise a concern with IBCA 
  • community drop-in events
  • IBCA’s next Board meeting
  • other IBCA updates
  • your questions.

Thank you for your feedback and questions. They help us improve this update. You can get in touch by emailing ibcaenquiries@ibca.org.uk or on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter).

An update on compensation claims

As of 7 April 2026, a total of 3,942 people have been asked to start their claim, and of this number, 3,754 people have started the claim process. 

3,161 people have had their compensation paid, totalling £2,057,693,699.09.

To date, we have received 18,053 registrations of intent to make a compensation claim. This figure represents individual registrations, not unique people or claims. This is because some people may have registered more than once. 

Following community feedback asking for more detailed data, we’ve now included breakdowns for each group showing how many people have been invited to start their claim and how many have done so.

You can see our latest compensation statistics, including registration figures, on the IBCA website.

We continue to bring in more claims based on how confident we are in processing each type of claim. For those representing deceased infected people, and those who are affected, we’re continuing to bring people into the claim service, but still in smaller numbers as we work through complex issues such as evidence needed and probate being in place for estates. 

For those who are living with infection and never compensated, over the coming weeks we are planning to bring in larger numbers of claims on a more regular basis in this group. This is because our confidence levels are currently higher in processing this type of claim, as many of the issues we have come across are similar to those already resolved for our first group of claims (those who are infected and registered with a support scheme).  

Government response to Inquiry recommendations and consultation on compensation scheme 

The outcome of the government consultation into the infected blood compensation scheme was published yesterday (14 April). The consultation followed recommendations made in the Infected Blood Inquiry Additional Report. You can read the government consultation and outcome on GOV.UK.

As this was a government-led consultation, we also saw this full response for the first time yesterday, alongside members of the infected blood community. We will now carefully review what these proposed changes mean for supporting and paying compensation claims, including past, current and future claims.

The government intends to formally lay regulations before Parliament later this year. Once those regulations are approved by Parliament and come into law, we will then have the powers to review, update and pay the agreed compensation amounts. 

We will continue to keep you updated through this newsletter and on our IBCA social media pages. 

If you have already received your compensation and may be due more money because of changes in the regulations, we will review, change, and update your payment. This is what we did, and have been doing since the third set of regulations came into law on 31 December 2025.

How to raise a concern with IBCA 

Your views are central to the design and delivery of the compensation claim service. Your feedback matters because it helps us build a service that works for you.

In July 2025, the Infected Blood Inquiry recommended that IBCA and Cabinet Office create a mechanism for community concerns to be formally raised and responded to.

We already respond to concerns and feedback raised with us, gather these into themes, and publish them on our website. This is so that you can see the most common themes we hear, and what we’re doing about them. You can read the latest key themes covering January to March 2026. 

In addition, and to recognise the Inquiry’s recommendation, we have also set up a new email address if you’d like to send us a concern: feedbackandconcerns@ibca.org.uk. 

If the concern is for the Cabinet Office (for example, if it refers to the compensation tariffs or regulations), we will share this with their policy team for response. You can also continue to contact us with concerns in the ways you already use; by email, phone, through your claim manager, or at IBCA events. 

Thank you also to those who attended our Community Driven Development sessions in March. We gathered views from community groups and representatives on responding to concerns and will publish the session summary on our website soon. 

Community drop-ins across the UK

We are hosting drop-in events around the UK, and on 26 March, around 150 community members attended the third IBCA community drop-in event in Manchester, giving people a chance to meet IBCA staff face to face, talk about the claims process and ask questions about compensation.

We understand that coming to these events may feel difficult for some people. You are welcome to bring a trusted friend or family member for support if that would be helpful. 

One person who came to the event said: “Everyone I’ve spoken to has been so informative, friendly and understanding. I’m glad to see you are dealing with this so respectfully.”

The next community drop-in event is in central London on Wednesday 29 April, and you can register for it now. Spaces for this session are limited so register now if you’d like to attend. 

We have more events planned over the next few months in:

Registration for these drop-ins will open approximately 4 weeks ahead of the events and close when we reach the capacity of the venue. When you register for an event, we’ll send you details of the venue and a time slot to speak with IBCA colleagues to make sure everyone is heard.

We know that not everyone will be able to join us at one of these events, so we are looking into other options and locations in future too.

For the latest updates, visit the community events page on the IBCA website or follow IBCA on social media. 

IBCA’s next Board meeting on 6 May 

IBCA’s Board meets regularly to review our progress and performance, and every quarter you can watch a Board meeting online. This gives you the opportunity to see our decision-making process in action and stay informed about our work.

The next Board meeting will be on Wednesday 6 May, 1-3pm, and will include community views provided through discussions of the Community Advisory Panel, and the quarterly community themes that we hear. 

The meeting will be broadcast live on our YouTube channel and available to watch afterwards. 

The agenda and Board papers will be available in advance on our website. 

Other IBCA updates

Some people have been approached about their compensation claim by solicitors offering ‘no win, no fee’ terms or Conditional Fee Agreements. Here are a few important things to keep in mind before making any decisions: 

  • free legal support is available, paid for by IBCA
  • you do not need a solicitor to register or make a compensation claim. If you would like legal support, IBCA can arrange this for you at no cost when your claim begins
  • be aware that ‘no win, no fee’ or Conditional Fee Agreements may deduct costs from your compensation award
  • registering with IBCA is free and straightforward. You can complete it independently, with support from our team, or with someone you trust. Our team can guide you through the registration and claims process and answer any questions you may have.

We can arrange free legal support when a claim begins, through six independent legal firms: Collins Solicitors, Leigh Day, Milners Solicitors, Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, Watkins & Gunn and KRW Law. These firms offer impartial advice at no cost to you.

We know that some people may feel under pressure to sign legal agreements quickly. You should never feel rushed into making a decision about your claim or legal representation. If anyone is encouraging you to sign something you do not fully understand, or asking for money in relation to an IBCA claim, please seek independent advice.

If you are worried that someone may be pressuring or taking advantage of you in relation to your claim, please let our safeguarding team know by emailing safeguarding@ibca.org.uk.

Your questions 

Does the closure of the Infected Blood Inquiry affect the deadline for starting my claim?

No. The Infected Blood Inquiry closed on 31 March 2026 and this does not impact our work. 

We are committed to paying each and every eligible person the compensation they are due.

When will I be contacted to start my claim?

We’re currently building and developing the claim service, and working to increase the number of claims as quickly as we can. As we become more confident with each claim type, we’ll open the service to more people, so the numbers will grow over time. 

While we don’t yet know when the claim service will be ready for everyone, our video with John Kelly explains what needs to be in place for us to open to larger numbers of claims.

Do I need to register with IBCA if I represent the estate of a deceased infected person, already registered with a support scheme?

Yes. If you are already registered with a support scheme, you will still need to register your intent to claim compensation with IBCA. We will then link your IBCA registration and support scheme data when we ask you to start your claim.

I’m claiming on behalf of someone infected who has died. Where can I get more information about probate? 

To make a claim on behalf of a deceased infected person, you must be legally entitled to act as the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate.

In most cases this means you are either the executor or administrator - that’s the person appointed to manage someone’s estate after they die, or someone with permission to act on the estate’s behalf.

You will also need a Grant of Probate - or, if you are in Scotland, a Confirmation certificate. This is the legal document confirming you have the authority to act on behalf of a deceased person’s estate. We won’t be able to start your claim without this. 

If you do not already have probate or confirmation, you will need to apply for it. You can find out what documents you need to claim for someone who has died or how to apply for probate or confirmation on GOV.UK.

Register your intent to claim

If someone you know could be eligible for infected blood compensation, or if you intend to make an additional claim, you can register your intent to claim online.

Alternative formats 

Do you need this newsletter in a different format? We can provide large print, another language, or other formats. Let us know by:

Protecting you from fraud

We have systems in place to prevent, spot, and deal with fraud. If you get a suspicious message or phone call and want to check if it’s really from IBCA, call us on 0141 726 2397 or email fraud@ibca.org.uk.

If you think someone has defrauded you:

  • report it online at Report Fraud or call 0300 123 2040
  • in Scotland, call the police on 101
  • tell your bank straight away.

If you’re worried about fraud, you can find more information on the Stop! Think Fraud website: stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk.

Find us online

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