In its 4 June 2026 community update, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority set out a firmer timetable for the next stage of the infected blood compensation scheme. The authority said its compensation service has now been opened to 4,466 claims and that, over the previous fortnight, a further 52 people claiming on behalf of a deceased infected person had been asked to start a claim, taking that cohort to 158. It also said it is almost halfway through claims for living infected people who have never previously received compensation and who have already registered an intent to claim. (gov.uk) The main operational commitment is that all currently registered claims from living infected people and those representing deceased infected people should be brought into the service by the end of March 2027. For claimants, that does not mean payment by that date, but it does provide a clearer indication of when registered cases should at least enter the formal claims process. (gov.uk)
The update also explains why progress will continue to vary between groups. IBCA said it will keep prioritising cases in line with the Infected Blood Inquiry recommendations, starting with people nearing end of life, while separate priority orders apply across living infected, deceased infected, affected and deceased affected claims. The authority’s registration guidance shows that clinical need, age and previous interim recognition all affect sequencing. (ibca.org.uk) From a delivery perspective, the authority is signalling that intake volumes will rise while the service is still being built. IBCA said there may be a gap between cases being brought in and cases being offered and paid, particularly where medical evidence is incomplete or must be checked against other records. It also said further information on claim intake will be discussed through its public business planning and Board process. (gov.uk)
On evidence-gathering, IBCA said claim managers may ask for records showing a diagnosis of HIV, hepatitis C or hepatitis B, but it accepted that many claimants do not hold those papers themselves. To reduce that burden, it has established a specialist team to obtain documents directly from the NHS and other healthcare providers, after feedback showed that fragmented requests could slow claims and create uncertainty over who should respond first. (ibca.org.uk) The practical effect is to move more of the administrative work away from claimants and onto the scheme administrator. IBCA has also refreshed its financial guidance so that support available through the claims process now covers benefits, taxation, wills and estate planning, financial wellbeing and the risk of scams or financial abuse. Separate guidance says claim managers may, depending on circumstances, arrange and fund a session with a financial adviser. (ibca.org.uk)
Legal support is another area where the authority is trying to make the process more consistent. IBCA’s support pages say it funds independent legal advice from approved firms for people making a claim, and its public guidance states that claimants do not need a solicitor either to register or to make a claim. (ibca.org.uk) That message was paired with a warning about no win, no fee arrangements. IBCA said some people had been approached by firms offering those terms, and its separate guidance notes that such agreements can still involve deductions from compensation or fee structures that are difficult to follow. The policy aim is clear: IBCA-funded legal support is meant to reduce the risk that part of an award is lost to charges that the scheme is already designed to cover. (ibca.org.uk)
On governance, the update confirms a leadership change later this year. Sir Robert Francis, the interim Chair, is due to leave at the end of November 2026, with his current term ending on 22 November, and IBCA said recruitment for a permanent chair will begin shortly. His published statement presents that change as a handover from the authority’s establishment phase to a longer period of delivery and continuity. (ibca.org.uk) The same update places IBCA within a wider scrutiny exercise on how government compensation schemes are run. Chief executive David Foley gave evidence to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on 4 June 2026 as part of its inquiry into government compensation schemes. UK Parliament’s inquiry page says the committee is examining whether schemes are effective, timely, proportionate and fair, after National Audit Office work identified slow and ad hoc design across government. (committees.parliament.uk)
IBCA is also continuing face-to-face engagement with affected communities. The authority said around 100 people attended its Liverpool drop-in on 12 May 2026, and reported that the share of attendees who felt informed rose from 55.3 per cent at the start of the event to 97.4 per cent afterwards. Further sessions are scheduled for Belfast on 11 June 2026 and Cardiff on 30 June 2026, with locations held back until after registration for privacy reasons and reasonable travel costs reimbursed. (gov.uk) The closing sections of the update focus on access, eligibility and claimant protection. IBCA said people with legal authority can now register an intent to claim on behalf of a deceased affected person, while estates of deceased infected people already linked to a support scheme must still register separately with IBCA. It also restated that, where an affected person dies between 21 May 2024 and 31 March 2031, the estate remains eligible, and that up to £1,500 can be reimbursed for probate or equivalent estate-administration costs in eligible deceased infected claims. The authority also repeated its anti-fraud advice and said alternative formats, including large print and other languages, are available on request. (ibca.org.uk)