Correspondence

IBCA Community Update, 6 August 2026 (HTML)

Published 6 August 2026

Hello, and welcome to your community update.

This newsletter includes:

• fourth set of regulations governing compensation signed into law
• an update on compensation claims
• watch our recent Board meeting or read the minutes
• take part in research to improve the service
• update: our IT systems
• tell us about your experiences of communications from IBCA
• the Infected Blood Estates Interim Payment Scheme closes on 30 October
• 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 .

Fourth Infected Blood Compensation Scheme regulations come into law

On 24 July 2026, the fourth set of regulations for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme came into law.

This means that there are now changes to the Infected Blood Compensation Schemes Regulations 2025. These changes are a result of a 12-week consultation led by the Government with the infected blood community. The consultation focused on some of the recommendations made in the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Additional Report.

You do not need to take any action at this stage. Whether your claim is impacted by the regulations or not, we’ll contact you when we’re ready and provide any next steps.

We know that the regulations can be complicated. We will make any changes to the compensation service as clear as possible. We’ll do this as quickly as we can, and update you when we have more details.

For more information on the fourth set of regulations, visit IBCA’s website.

An update on compensation claims

You have asked us for an update on what’s happening within each of the groups below:

• living infected people registered with an existing support scheme - everyone in this group has been asked to start their claim
• living infected people who have never been compensated - we have now asked everyone who had registered by the middle of July and who are either nearing end of life, have advanced liver disease or are over 75 to start their claim
• people acting on behalf of a deceased infected person - we are currently asking everyone who is over 75 to start their claim
• affected people - we are currently asking everyone who is nearing end of life to start their claim.

As of 28 July 2026:

• 5,578 people have been asked to start their claim
• 5,147 people have started the claim process
• 3,415 people have had their compensation paid, totalling just over £2.2 billion

Registration

We have received 20,002 registrations of intent to claim compensation. This figure represents individual registrations, not unique people or claims, as some people may have registered more than once.

The full figures, including a breakdown of each group, are available on our website.

View our latest compensation and registration figures on the IBCA website.

If you, or someone you know, could be eligible for infected blood compensation, or want to make an additional claim, please find out more information about how to register on our website.

Each claim must be registered separately - this includes multiple claims from the same person, or multiple family members claiming individually. You cannot register as a family claim.

If your circumstances have changed since you registered with us, please let us know.

Watch IBCA’s recent Board meeting or read the minutes

Our most recent Board meeting took place on 7 July 2026. You can watch the recording of this on our YouTube channel and read the meeting minutes on our website.

Our next Board meeting will take place on 3 November 2026. We’ll share more details about this closer to the time.

Take part in research to improve the service

IBCA is  looking for people who are using the service, or planning to do so, to take part in user research. User research helps us to:

• understand what different people need from the service
• test new design ideas, content and features to see if they work well for everyone
• understand problems people are having and how they might be resolved

If you are interested in joining our user research panel and being invited to take part in research run by IBCA, please complete this short sign up form.

We use Participant Kit, a third-party software provider, to securely store your sign up information and send research opportunities.

We will do this on a first come, first served basis so we may not be able to include everyone who wants to take part in research and we have to close the form if we reach capacity on our panel.

Update: our IT systems

For the last two weeks, we have had a technical problem with the part of our IT system which helps us to manage and move documents. This has slowed down the number of claims we have been able to process. Your personal data is safe and secure. The problem only affects our internal systems. It does not put your information at risk.

We are working hard to process all claims as quickly as possible. A specialist team is fixing the technical problem now. We are also helping our claim managers to find new ways to work so we can keep working through claims and paying compensation. Despite the issue, our latest compensation figures show that we are still making good progress.

We will keep you updated as we work to fix the problem. If you have any questions or need any support, please do get in touch. You can call us on 0141 726 2397 or email ibcaenquiries@ibca.org.uk, and we will be happy to help.

Tell us about your experiences of communications from IBCA

We would like to hear about your thoughts and experiences of IBCA. We are running a survey to check how well our current communications are working and how to improve these for you. 

The survey should take around 10 minutes and can be completed online. You may use any device to access it. The deadline to complete the survey is Sunday 9 August 2026.

Take part in the survey.

The Infected Blood Interim Estates Payment Scheme will close on 30 October

Applications to the Infected Blood Interim Estates Payment Scheme (IBIEPS) administered by the Infected Blood Support Schemes close on 30 October 2026.

You can apply if:

• the infected person who died registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme (IBSS) or an Alliance House Organisation Scheme (AHOS) on or before 17 April 2024
• the person who died had not already received final compensation from IBCA
• you have a grant of probate, letters of administration or a grant of confirmation (in Scotland)

You can see the full eligibility criteria and apply for the IBIEPS by visiting GOV.UK. Please apply as early as possible to ensure the IBSS can process your application in time.

Estates of eligible infected people can also apply for compensation under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, administered by IBCA. If you intend to claim under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme please register your intent to claim on the IBCA website.

Your questions

Will IBCA use the Victims and Prisoners Act powers to access my Infected Blood Psychological Service information?

Some people are concerned that IBCA may use the Victims and Prisoners Act to access records held by the Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS). We understand why this might feel worrying, particularly for those who have accessed support services in confidence, often during some of the most difficult periods of their lives, made harder by the impact of the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will never use the Victims and Prisoners Act powers to access IBPS records.

If (and only if) a person wishes to provide those records to IBCA in support of a supplementary claim, they can instead do so by way of a Subject Access Request, which can only be processed with that person’s consent.

We have not yet started processing supplementary claims. As we develop this process, we will keep listening to feedback from the community, and will share further information about what evidence may be required and how we intend to approach this sensitively and proportionately.

Legal support is available when you claim

Some people claiming compensation have told us they were contacted by solicitors offering ‘no win, no fee’ terms or Conditional Fee Agreements in relation to making their IBCA claim.

We know 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 or contact us.

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.
Before making any decisions, there are a few important things to know:

• Legal support is available, paid for by IBCA and completely independent of us
• 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
• ‘no win, no fee’ or Conditional Fee Agreements, often advertised by other legal firms, may deduct costs from your compensation award - we are aware of cases where significant amounts have been charged to those who have made a claim
• registering with IBCA is free and straightforward - you can do it yourself, with support from our team, or with someone you trust

We can arrange legal support when a claim begins, through six independent legal firms who offer impartial advice at no cost to you. If you want to use a different firm, we can discuss this with you.

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.

Recognising genuine return envelopes from IBCA

Have you asked us to contact you by post?  We’ve heard some people have been concerned about whether the address label we provide for you to return information is genuine.

To help you recognise IBCA return envelopes, you’ll now see a small “FREEPOST IBCOM” label on your return envelope instead of a Royal Mail sticker.

Please use it to return your forms at no cost to you.

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:

• calling 0141 726 2397
• emailing ibcaenquiries@ibca.org.uk
• writing to PO Box 384, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE98 1XY

Find us online

For more information and latest updates from IBCA, you can find us online:

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