Infected Blood Payment Scheme: eligibility

The Infected Blood Payment Scheme for Northern Ireland is now closed to new applications.

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.

The scheme has closed to new applications. However, if your partner was a scheme member and died between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025, you can apply to the scheme up to three months from the date of death.

Further information is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme for Northern Ireland

Chronic hepatitis C payments

The Infected Blood Payment Scheme Northern Ireland (IBPS NI) offers support 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

• infected with hepatitis C (HCV) by someone who was infected through treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue before September 1991 

HIV payments

The IBPS NI offers support 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
• infected by someone 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.

If you are a bereaved partner of a scheme member who died between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025, you can apply to the scheme up to three months from the date of death for:

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

If your spouse or partner died after 1 April 2025, you are not eligible to register for the NI scheme.

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

Help with funeral costs

You may be able to apply for up to £4,500 towards funeral costs if a registered beneficiary dies.

Winter fuel payments 

If you are registered with the IBPSNI 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. However, any grants paid will be deducted from any final compensation.

Further information is available at:

• Infected Blood Payment Scheme: financial advice and support

Further information

For more information, 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: