Policy paper: Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

This document explains how the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) works and summarises the different compensation awards available. 

The Scheme is established in law which gives the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) the power to make compensation payments in line with the Scheme’s design. The awards outlined in this document are intended to give an idea of the compensation that eligible people may receive. Whether a person is eligible for compensation, and how much compensation they receive, will depend on IBCA’s assessment of the person’s circumstances. IBCA’s assessment will always be made in line with the design of the Scheme as set by the law. 

This page was last updated on 18 June 2026 to include the changes made to the Scheme as a result of the draft 2026 regulations.

This section lists additional sources of information about the Scheme that may be helpful to review alongside this document:

Over eight years, the Infected Blood Inquiry (the Inquiry), led by Sir Brian Langstaff, investigated the circumstances which led to and were caused by people being given infected blood (or blood products) by the UK’s National Health Services (NHS), most notably between 1970 to 1998. The Inquiry issued its Second Interim Report in April 2023, in which it made recommendations for the design of a scheme to compensate victims, and its final report in May 2024.