On the 20th May 2024, the Infected Blood Inquiry recommended that The Hepatitis C Trust, alongside The Haemophilia Society and the UK Thalassaemia Society, should be funded for the work we do to advocate for the community (recommendation 10). We are pleased to announce that, following several months’ discussion, a grant of £275,203 has now been agreed.
This is the first time we have received any government funding for our work on Infected Blood, work we have been doing for over 20 years.
This funding will enable us to increase our direct work with the communities impacted by infected blood, and to strengthen our engagement with Government to ensure justice is delivered for everyone impacted. This year, the funding will be used to:
- Fund our existing Helpline and Support Service team
- Expand the team, delivering additional support and advocacy
- Deliver more support groups, including regional face to face support and engagement groups
- Provide support for new applicants to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, using our experience supporting applications to the previous support schemes. This will be open to all new applicants, including infected and affected people, and people who have hepatitis B and/or C
- Engage more proactively with the Government, Inquiry and Infected Blood Compensation Authority on behalf of the communities
The funding has initially been provided for one year. It is clear, however, that this work will remain vital for many years to come. We are hopeful that funding beyond 2026 will be agreed soon.