Correspondence

IBCA Newsletter, 17 October 2024

Published 18 October 2024

A message from David Foley - starting the first compensation claims

Hello,

When Sir Robert Francis KC and I were appointed interim Chair and interim Chief Executive of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) earlier this year, we committed that IBCA would process the very first compensation payments before the end of 2024. 

Last week’s update covered how we have been working with members of the infected blood community to design the compensation service. 

Today, we take another step forward as we send out the very first invites to claim compensation. By starting small and testing as we go, we’ll design a service that means payments will ultimately be made sooner for everyone. 

Later today, I will send an email to a small number of people - around 20 - to invite them to start their claim. This email will explain how this initial process will work, what will happen next, and what they need to do. They can then either agree to continue a claim, or choose not to at this stage.

We will then test the service as we process these very first claims. This approach means that we can increase the number of people and types of claims more quickly as we develop the service further. 

Right now, IBCA can only process claims from infected people until further regulations are put in place for those who are affected. We have chosen this first group of people because we know that they: 

• are already eligible for compensation
• are registered with support schemes, which means we are likely to already have access to a lot of the information that we will need 
• are from areas across the UK
• represent a range of infection types and severity within those infections

Before the start of November, those who have chosen to take their claim forward will receive a further email. This will tell them the name of their Claim Manager and explain the support that will be available to them as they make their claim. This email will come from a recognised address - please contact IBCA if you have any concerns that an email you receive is not genuine.

Our aim is to provide compensation to them as soon as possible and, for the rest of those eligible to apply for compensation, we will open the service in 2025. 

We know this will be difficult for those who are not yet able to claim, but by starting small, we can develop and improve the service, meaning payments will be made sooner and more efficiently for everyone. 

We will update you regularly about how the claims process is working as IBCA processes these first claims. Sir Robert and I will continue our meetings with groups and members of the community, and we will be happy to discuss progress when we meet too. 

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 when to apply and what to do at that stage.  

Best wishes

David Foley

Interim Chief Executive, Infected Blood Compensation Authority

A quick reminder - please be aware of fraud 

If you have any doubts about a message or phone call from us being genuine, please contact us to check, using the details from our current website: Infected Blood Compensation Authority

Always report suspicious text messages or scam calls free of charge by texting 7726. 

Your provider can find out where the text came from and block or ban the sender.

You can report fraud or cyber crime any time at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report it to the Police by calling 101. If you are a victim of fraud, report it to your bank.