Correspondence

IBCA Newsletter, 2 December 2024

Published 2 December 2024

Hello,

In this latest update we are covering the future of the support schemes as well as some of the questions we have been receiving around the compensation scheme. As always, please share any feedback with us by emailing ibcaenquiries@ibca.org.uk.

The future of the Infected Blood Support Schemes (IBSS)

The four UK-wide Infected Blood Support Schemes will be closing to new applications on 31 March 2025, but will continue to support those registered beyond this date. If you haven’t yet registered with a scheme but believe you are eligible, please do apply as soon as you can and by the deadline.

People who are eligible to sign-up to a support scheme include: 

• Those who have been historically infected with Hepatitis C and/or HIV from NHS blood or blood products;
• Spouses, civil or long-term co-habiting partners following the death of someone infected who was already a member of a current or former scheme.

The 31 March 2025 deadline applies to new applicants only - the schemes will not be closing on this date. If you are already registered with a scheme you will still be able to contact them, and do not need to take any action. You will continue to receive your support payments and the annual winter fuel payment. 

If an existing scheme member dies between 1 January and 31 March 2025, their estate will have three months from the date of death to apply for a lump sum payment.

Newly-bereaved partners of existing scheme members who die between 1 January and 31 March 2025 will also have three months from the date of death to apply for support payments.

New applicants should apply to the support scheme in the UK nation in which they were infected. If you are a bereaved partner, this is where your partner was infected. 

For more information on eligibility, visit the relevant scheme’s website. Contact details and website addresses for all four Infected Blood Support Schemes are listed on GOV.UK and on the Infected Blood Inquiry website. 

Sending out the next invitations to claim compensation

In our last community update we confirmed our intention to send out further invitations to another small group of people, to begin their claim. 

Between now and January we will send a small number of invitations to people to start their claim, and will keep doing this so that we reach around 250 claims in early 2025. 

Those in the very first groups invited to claim already represent a range of infections and experience. However, we recognise that it does not include representation from all types of infection within the infected community, nor does it prioritise certain claims over others. That’s why, as we progress over the next few months, we want to ensure that community views are considered in how we select further people to claim before we open to everyone who is infected and eligible further into 2025. 

In recent engagement sessions we have heard that age, severity and length of infection are just some of the factors we should consider, and we are seeking views on anything else we should include in these decisions for further invites. To do this, we have run sessions with individuals and representatives from the infected blood community in November and will continue to do so in December to help shape our decisions on how the service can be rolled out. The first session has now taken place and invites for further sessions have been sent out, and include community members who have volunteered to help with service design.

As you’ll have seen in previous updates, by starting small and testing the service as we go, we can then expand it further to larger numbers. This approach means we can increase the number of people and types of claims more quickly as we develop the service further. 

Recent questions and answers

We have included questions that we have received since the last update. We hope that you find these helpful, and please do feel free to share them. 

Will I need to apply for interim compensation of £100,000 on behalf of an estate before 31 March 2025?

No, you will still be able to apply to the relevant scheme for interim compensation payments on behalf of estates after 31 March 2025. The schemes are not closing on this date and will continue to process applications for interim estates payments.

Will my support payments go down or stop when I claim compensation?

Not unless you choose for them to stop. If you are registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme, you can choose to continue receiving your current support payments for life as part of your compensation package, with the rest of your compensation payable as either a lump sum, or payments over 5, 10 or 25 years.

Alternatively, you can choose to end your support payments and receive all of your compensation as either a lump sum, or payments over 5, 10 or 25 years.

If you choose to continue support payments for life, they will be paid at the same level as of 31 March 2025, they will not go down, and will also increase annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

If your calculated future financial loss and future care awards (these are part of your compensation amount when you receive compensation on the core route) are higher than your expected support scheme payments, you will receive a ‘support scheme top up award’ which will be added to your compensation. 

This top up does not result in a deduction from the compensation award. It may result in an increase.

‘I receive Infected Blood Support Scheme payments so I won’t be automatically offered compensation through the Core Route.’

We’ve seen some inaccurate information recently about how existing support payments might affect your compensation claim.

Everyone eligible for compensation, including those who receive regular support payments from an existing Infected Blood Support Scheme, will be offered compensation through the core route. This is where compensation is calculated using tariffs alone.

Those registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme also have the choice of receiving their future financial loss and future care awards as part of the core route - or to take the support payments for life as part of their compensation package.

Your claim manager will explain your options throughout your claim so you can make the best decision for you.

Continuing to improve how we communicate 

Over the past couple of weeks, some of you that have signed up to be involved with IBCA may have received a survey from us asking your thoughts about how we can continue to improve our communication - from what you want to hear to which channels you prefer.

Thank you to all who have responded to the survey so far. With more than 700 responses already, we’re very grateful that you are helping IBCA to improve the way we work with you.

We will share what we’ve learnt soon.

If you have not already done so and would like to take part in similar surveys in the future, please sign up to our mailing list and tick the box to provide input into the design and delivery of the new service.

Welsh language versions

If you, or someone you know, would like to receive the next and future IBCA Community Updates in Welsh, please let us know by emailing ibcaenquiries@ibca.org.uk.