On 22 October, The Hepatitis C Trust met with David Foley, interim IBCA Chief Executive and Sir Robert Francis, interim Chair, as well as other Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) officials.
The meeting was attended by Rachel Halford, our CEO, Leila Reid, Samantha May and Susan Lee on behalf of The Hepatitis C Trust.
We discussed several points of concern regarding the current compensation proposals. These concerns included our own as the UK’s only dedicated hepatitis C charity, as well as those that had been raised with us by members of the Infected Blood community via the helpline or submitted to us via an online form.
Some of our concerns included:
- The lower tariffs for HCV and HBV infections
- The impacts of Interferon treatment not being adequately recognised
- The supplementary route being only available where an individual has faced additional financial and care losses (and not for other categories).
Sir Robert highlighted that IBCA has no power to change the regulations or decisions made by the Cabinet Office; IBCA can only implement the regulations that are made.
It was also stated that people were free to make a claim for compensation and then go on to litigate, should they feel that their case has not been adequately addressed or compensated.
We also asked how IBCA will manage applications where people’s medical evidence has been destroyed and were reassured that IBCA will fully adhere to the Balance of Probabilities. In this context, where someone has contracted HCV, even in the absence of evidence of a blood transfusion, it is possible that they will be accepted onto the scheme.
Sir Robert and David Foley provided an update on developments within IBCA.
Their update included:
- IBCA staff remain employed by the Cabinet Office
- IBCA now has a full board of Non-Executive Directors and are in the process of introducing Case Managers
- IBCA are testing their system, enabling small groups initially to make applications
As has recently been announced, an initial 20 applicants have been asked to apply. IBCA expects to manage around 250 applications over the course of this financial year as part of its development phase before the scheme opens up more widely. Every claim will be assigned a Case Manager, and every applicant will be able to access legal support.
IBCA says it is prioritising communications with community members, and all announcements will first be made via their newsletter (people can sign up to this here). IBCA’s own website will be live in the coming weeks and this website will also be home to the claim portal. IBCA is in the process of appointing one or more Community Advisor, and establishing a Community Panel.
We also discussed Sir Robert Langstaff’s proposal for a review of IBCA after one year, and how The Hepatitis C Trust could support this and provide feedback from community members as they go through the application process.
We highlighted the importance of good communication from IBCA. Our recent webinar on compensation has been viewed more than 1,500 times, demonstrating the need for timely and accessible information. Sir Robert and David Foley stated that they were keen to take part in sessions with the community; we will work with them to arrange this.
We are urgently requesting a meeting with the Paymaster General, Nick Thomas-Symonds, who oversees the delivery of the compensation scheme. We plan to outline the critical areas of concern as we call for a fair and transparent compensation scheme for all those impacted by the contaminated blood scandal.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on 18 November to clarify that IBCA expects to manage around 250 applications in this financial year as part of its development and testing phase before the scheme opens up to more applicants.