WIREDGOV

The government announced reforms to payments supporting people who received infected blood during NHS treatment in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Department of Health published its response to the recent consultation on infected blood support and the special category mechanism on 28 September.

As part of this response, the government announced new payment ‘uplifts’ and a new special category mechanism (SCM) to improve financial support for those affected by the infected blood tragedy of the 1970s and 1980s.

At least 2,400 people died and thousands more were exposed to Hepatitis C and HIV, with life-changing consequences, as a result of receiving infected blood.

The following measures will now be introduced:

• a new SCM will be introduced so more people with hepatitis C stage 1 can claim financial support with no distinction between severities of illness suffered
• the SCM will consider any significant and sustained adverse impact of Hepatitis C infection or its treatment on the ability of an individual to carry out routine day-to-day activities
• administration of the current 5 payments schemes will be given to a single body - the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The NHSBSA will start on 1 November 2017
• ‘uplifts’ to annual payments from 2018 to 2019 and increasing the amount of discretionary funding available
• adding membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) to the list of stage 2 Hepatitis C conditions.

The discretionary payment scheme has been changed so that all groups can get the support they need quickly, both financial and otherwise

The department has increased annual spend on support payments to record levels since 2015, committing an additional £125 million in funding for support.

The changes concern people who were infected in England.