A guide to understanding the Government’s 16 August announcement on compensation

On 16 August, the Government announced its latest updates about the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme for those who received infected blood and blood products and the people who were affected by this.

This guide breaks down what it might mean for you. This guide covers our understanding so far.

This guide follows on from our guide to the previous announcement on 21 May.

What has the Government announced?

The Government has announced updates to its compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal, which have been informed by recommendations from Sir Robert Francis KC.

Sir Robert is the Interim Chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA), and was asked by the previous Government to engage with members of the infected blood community on the proposed compensation scheme.

Based on these conversations, Sir Robert outlined 74 recommendations to Government about the new compensation scheme and how it should work.

Today, the government has said that it has accepted the majority of these recommendations.

You can read Sir Robert Francis’ recommendation on the Government website.

Has anything changed?

We now have more clarity on the Government’s plans for the new compensation scheme.

It has been announced that:

• Continuation of support scheme payments: All those registered with an infected blood support scheme before 1 April 2025 – both living infected persons and bereaved partners – will now continue to receive regular support scheme payments for life.
• Financial advice and legal advice: both will be made available to people making claims for compensation.
• Increased compensation for unethical testing: There will be additional awards of £10,000 for those subjected to ‘unethical research’ identified by the Infected Blood Inquiry. For those who underwent treatment as children at Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College, there will be a higher award of £15,000.
• More compensation routes: There will now be more ways that people can apply for compensation. People who have health conditions which are not recognised by the ‘core’ route of applying, will now be able to make a personalised application in order to receive more tailored compensation.
• Increased social impact award: The Government has increased the ‘social impact award’ for affected members who are likely to have lived in the same household as the person who received infected blood or blood products for more than 2 years. 

how much will people receive in compensation?

New indicative figures have been released and can be found online.

We are currently examining these figures and their potential implications for people given hepatitis C through infected blood and blood products.

More detailed information about the compensation scheme is expected this week.

When will I receive compensation?

The compensation scheme will now be formally established through regulations, enshrining it in law. This process will occur in two stages.

The first set, laid ahead of 24 August 2024, will give the Infected Blood Compensation Authority the powers to pay compensation through the core route to the infected, both living and deceased. The Government expects the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to begin making payments by the end of this year.

The second set will establish a compensation scheme for people who are affected, and for those claiming compensation under the supplementary route. This will ensure that the IBCA can begin compensation payments to the affected in 2025.

What is happening with the Infected Blood Support Schemes?

The Government has announced that UK Infected Blood Support Scheme (IBSS) payments will continue for life for both people who received infected blood/ blood products before September 1991 and bereaved partners.

Payments will continue to be paid, via the IBSS and on an ex-gratia basis to people who are registered on the schemes before 1 April 2025. Any support payments received after 1 April 2025 will only be deducted from the part of compensation for future loss and future care needs. This should mean that people who are in receipt of those payments will still get substantial compensation as well as having the security of regular support payments for life if they wish.

The Government is not planning to extend the criteria of those eligible for IBSS payments.

Is there anything I need to do at the moment?

As the new compensation scheme is not yet open, most people do not need to do anything at the moment.

If you are eligible to register for IBSS payments and you still aren’t registered, you can start that process now.

You can find more information about eligibility on the England Infected Blood Support Scheme website. The criteria are the same for all UK nations.

Where can I find out more?

Details of the IBCA are available on the Government website.