Infected Blood Payment Scheme: eligibility and how to apply

Eligibility

Support is available if you:

• were infected with hepatitis C and/ or HIV as a result of treatment with NHS blood or blood products in Northern Ireland
• are the bereaved spouse, civil partner or long-term co-habiting partner of someone infected as a result of contaminated blood who has died
• are responsible for the estate of someone who was infected, who has passed away and has no surviving spouse or partner

​​​​If you now live outside Northern Ireland, you are still eligible if the NHS treatment took place in Northern Ireland.

You cannot register with the Infected Blood Payment Scheme NI if you are already receiving payments from any of the following financial support schemes:

• England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS)
• Scotland Infected Blood Support Scheme (SIBSS)
• Wales Infected Blood Support Scheme (WIBSS)

Chronic hepatitis C - stage 1 payments 

You can apply for support from the Infected Blood Payment Scheme Northern Ireland (IBPS NI) if you were infected with hepatitis C as a result of treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue in Northern Ireland before September 1991. 

If you were infected with hepatitis C (HCV) by someone who was infected through treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue before September 1991 you can also apply for this payment.

If your condition has worsened, you may be able to apply for further payments. 

Chronic hepatitis C - stage 1 (enhanced) payments

You can apply for HCV stage 1 (enhanced) payments if you have chronic hepatitis C and are already getting stage 1 payments and your condition has worsened but is not advanced HCV (known as stage 2 category on the NI Scheme).

Enhanced payments are for HCV stage 1 beneficiaries who consider their infection or its treatment to have a significant and long-term adverse impact on their ability to carry out routine daily activities.

Further information on enhanced support is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme: if your hepatitis C condition changes

Advanced hepatitis C - stage 2 payments

You can apply for hepatitis C stage 2 payments if you have advanced HCV and meet the advanced HCV stage 2 criteria.

Further information on HCV stage 2 criteria is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme: if your hepatitis C condition changes

HIV payments

You can apply for support from the IBPS NI if you were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a result of treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue in Northern Ireland before 17 February 1992.

You are also eligible if you became infected by someone (for example, your spouse, civil partner, partner or parent) whose HIV infection was as a result of receiving contaminated blood, blood products or tissue during NHS treatment in Northern Ireland before 17 February 1992.

Estates and partners of a deceased beneficiary

Bereaved spouses, civil partners and long-term partners of those who were infected with HIV and/ or hepatitis C as a result of treatment with NHS blood or blood products in Northern Ireland, who themselves were not infected, may also be eligible for support if they were co-habiting at the time of death.

Bereaved partners of a person who died after joining the IBPS NI, or would have been eligible to join the IBPS NI, or a previous scheme, can apply for:

• monthly support payments
• one off ex-gratia bereavement payment
• discretionary one-off payment towards funeral costs

The  previous support schemes, often referred to as the Alliance House Organisations, include:

• Caxton Foundation
• Eileen Trust 
• MacFarlane Trust
• MFET Limited
• Skipton Fund Limited

Monthly support payments

If a registered beneficiary who had been infected has died, the surviving spouse or partner will receive 100 per cent of the deceased beneficiary’s payment for one year and 75 per cent of that rate from the second year onwards.

The start of the payment will be based upon the following:

• the date of first payment to a bereaved person shall be backdated to the start of that financial year in which the application was made, as long as the deceased person passed away before the beginning of that financial year

or

• if the application was received during the same financial year that the beneficiary passed away, the first payment will be backdated to the beginning of the month following the date of bereavement

One-off ex-gratia bereavement lump sump payment

If a beneficiary of the IBPS NI who had been infected died on or after 1 November 2017, their eligible spouses, civil partners, long-term partners and estates could get a one-off bereavement payment of £10,000.

You will not qualify for payment if you were divorced, your civil partnership had been dissolved, or you were separated at the time.

Discretionary one-off payment towards funeral costs

If you are already registered with IBPS NI, you may be entitled to discretionary financial support towards funeral costs in the form of a one-off grant to help cover the costs.

Further information is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme: discretionary support

Winter fuel payments 

If you have registered with the IBPSNI and have applied for any of the above payments, you will automatically receive an annual winter fuel payment.

Discretionary support

If you are already registered with IBPS NI, you may be entitled to discretionary support in the form of a one-off grant to help with essential items or services. Further information is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme: financial advice and support

How you apply

To apply for support, contact the Infected Blood Payment Scheme for Northern Ireland at the contact details below:

• email: bso.ibss@hscni.net
• phone: 028 9536 3817
• in writing to: