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IBCA Newsletter, 10 October 2024

Published 11 October 2024

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Working towards the first infected blood compensation payments

IBCA is committed to making the very first compensation payments by the end of this year, starting with small numbers initially. We are working to deliver a compensation service that is accurate and secure, and in the next few months we will process those very first payments.

We are already getting help from members of the community to design the service - thank you to all those who have been involved so far. This approach means we can make sure the process is as simple as possible as we build it, before we then open it up to a larger number of people. By starting small, we will learn and improve the service overall, leading to faster payments for everyone.

We will regularly update you via this email on when and how we will open the scheme to more of those who are eligible to claim. You will know from our last update that we can only process claims from infected people until further regulations are confirmed for those who are affected.

You do not need to contact us or the infected blood support schemes to ask when claims will be open. We will update you before this happens so that you know what to do.  

Interim payments to estates

The Government will announce the timing and process to apply for payments to estates later this month (in October). The current infected blood support schemes will manage applications and make payments. 

You can find more information about who can apply for these payments on gov.uk once the announcement is made. 

We will let you know as soon as we have more information about how and when to apply. 

Collecting your information to help with claims for compensation

We know that existing infected blood support schemes hold information about their members that IBCA will also need to see. Where possible, we want to use that information so that you don’t have to give the same information to IBCA. 

If you are already registered with an infected blood support scheme, they will write to you about this soon. They will explain how they will share information about you with IBCA.

All of your information will remain confidential. IBCA and your support scheme will keep it safe and secure. The schemes will tell us information such as: 

  • your name, address and contact details
  • the type and severity of your infection.

If you think that some of the information your support scheme has about you is wrong or outdated, please contact your scheme and let them know. 

You do not need to provide any information for your claim now. Before claims open, we will tell you if we need any information. We will also tell you if we think that we can find information ourselves so that you do not need to send it to us. 

Introducing IBCA’s Non-Executive Directors 

As an independent organisation, IBCA has a board which oversees our work and makes sure that we are transparent and accountable. 

Six interim Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) have recently joined the IBCA board. They will work alongside our interim Chair, Sir Robert Francis KC, and interim Chief Executive, David Foley. 

They will attend monthly IBCA board meetings and listen to views from the community to ensure we are supporting you.

The addition of these experienced NEDs to the board brings IBCA a step closer to delivering compensation payments and support. 

You can read about our NEDs on the UK Parliament website. Once the announcement is live on gov.uk, you can also check the latest news from IBCA for more details. 

Your questions 

In our last update we reported that Sir Robert Francis KC and David Foley would be engaging directly with the community and community representatives. We would like to thank everyone who has already taken the time to speak to them so far - your views have been incredibly helpful. 

We are planning further engagement, including sessions for more community members to join if they want to.  As we speak to the community, we have heard many similar concerns and aim to answer these in our updates. 

Are the first set of regulations confirmed?

The Government made the first set of regulations in August 2024, which means IBCA can now design the service to pay those who are infected and eligible. These regulations set out the ‘core’ route and ‘IBSS route’ for those who are infected  to claim compensation. Parliament will debate these regulations this month. You can check the UK Parliament website to find out when. 

When will the next set of regulations be available?

The Government will also lay a second set of regulations. These regulations will extend the Scheme to include compensation for affected people. The regulations will also create a ‘supplementary’ route for infected people where the ‘core’ route does not fully reflect the impact that infected blood has had on them. 

The Government will lay the second set of regulations when parliamentary time allows. Once this second set of regulations is in force, we can start the process of making payments to the affected community.

Sir Robert Francis KC recommended in his report that legal support is available to people who want to claim compensation. The government accepted this recommendation and IBCA is working with them to consider a package of support services. We will tell you more about this support package as soon as we can. 

Will I get support with filling in forms? 

If you need extra help to make your claim, such as help to fill in forms or to understand what you need to do, we will help you. Once your claim begins, you will have a claims manager to help you through the process and provide information in a format that you can understand. 

Infected blood support schemes - contact details 

Contact details for each of the four separate UK financial support schemes are below if you need to contact them. You should contact the relevant scheme based on where in the UK you, or the person who you are referring to, were infected.

England Infected Blood Support Scheme

Infected Blood Support Payment Scheme (Northern Ireland)

Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme

Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme

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