Infected Blood Payment Scheme: if your hepatitis C condition changes
If your physical or mental health gets worse as a result of your infection with hepatitis C (HCV) or its treatment, you can get further financial support. You must be registered with the Infected Blood Payment Scheme Northern Ireland (IBPS NI) and already receive HCV stage 1 payments.
Chronic hepatitis C - stage 1 (enhanced support)
If you have been infected with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) and are registered with Infected Blood Payment Scheme Northern Ireland (IBPS NI) and already receive HCV stage 1 payments, you can apply for enhanced support (higher annual payments).
This can help with living costs to improve quality of life for you if you experience ongoing physical or mental health symptoms because of HCV infection or its treatment.
Enhanced support recognises the impact of your infection and linked conditions and the effects of treatment. The IBPS NI aims to respond to your changing health and needs.
Eligibility: chronic hepatitis C - stage 1 (enhanced) support
You may qualify for regular payments, the same as those payable at HCV stage 2 if:
- you are a successful stage 1 applicant
- your condition has worsened, but is not advanced HCV (stage 2) - you feel the infection, its treatment or associated conditions has a long-term negative impact on your ability to carry out daily activities
- the infection has worsened, but is not covered by the stage 2 conditions
Contact IBPS NI for more details if you think you may be eligible.
You'll need to confirm that you have one or more of the following:
- an autoimmune disease due to or worsened by interferon treatment for hepatitis C (HCV), for example:
- A1 Coombes positive haemolytic anaemia
- A2 Idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis of the lung
- A3 Rheumatoid arthritis
- sporadic porphyria cutanea tarda causing photo sensitivity with blistering
- immune thrombocytopenic purpura
- type 2 or 3 mixed cryoglobulinaemia which is accompanied by
- D1 Cerebral Vasculitis
- D2 Dermal Vasculitis
- D3 Peripheral neuropathy with neuropathic pain
- are suffering from significant mental health problems, persistent fatigue and/ or other health and wellbeing impacts due to HCV infection as a result of infected blood or blood products, which affect the ability to do daily tasks
If your HCV stage 1 enhanced application is refused, you can reapply if your condition has worsened.
Medical practitioner's evidence
As part of the chronic HCV stage 1 (enhanced) application process, along with the information you provide, a medical declaration is required from your treating medical professional.
The medical professional should be the main clinician treating you for the condition impacting on your daily life. This should be your hospital hepatologist doctor or viral hepatitis nurse.
If you are not under the care of either, you may wish to discuss your application with your GP. They may be able to refer you or provide the information that the IBPS NI needs to consider your application.
If you are applying on the grounds of mental health impact, you may wish to ask a clinical psychologist who is treating, or has treated you.
If your HCV stage 1 enhanced application is refused, you can reapply if your condition has worsened.
Advanced hepatitis C - stage 2 support
IBPS NI recognises that if you are living with advanced HCV you may face extra costs managing your health as a result of your infection, any linked conditions and the effects of treatment.
Eligibility: advanced hepatitis C stage 2 support
You may be eligible to receive the HCV stage 2 payment if, due to the impact of HCV and/ or its treatment, you have one or more of the following:
- cirrhosis of the liver
- primary liver cancer
- B-cell non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- had a liver transplant (or are on the waiting list to receive a liver transplant)
- renal disease due to Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPGN)
Medical practitioner's evidence
As part of the HCV stage 2 application process, a medical practitioner must provide supporting evidence for the information you put on the application form.
The medical practitioner completes the form to confirm your current condition.
Generally, the medical professional should be the principal clinician treating you. This will probably be the hepatologist or infectious disease specialist treating you for HCV, but if you have a bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia), it may be a haematologist.
If you have any records of how you were infected, you should pass copies of these to the medical professional who will be completing the application form.
If your HCV stage 2 application is refused, you can reapply in future if your condition has worsened.
Endorsement of your application without evidence
It may be that the medical practitioner cannot, or does not, provide evidence for any of the information you put on your application form. They may give an endorsement based on professional judgement or balance of probability.
In this case, your application will go to a clinical assessor to review who will give advice on how best to go ahead. The IBPS NI will write to you to give:
- an indication of how long this will take
- reassurance that, if your application is approved, the IBPS NI will backdate payments to when your application was received
Contact IBPS NI for more details if you think you may be eligible.
If you qualify for this payment, you will automatically be paid an annual winter fuel payment.
How much you could get and how to apply
You can find the payment rates for chronic/ or advanced HCV for this financial year, and contact details to apply, at the link below: