IBCA May 2026 update on infected blood claims

It helps to start with what IBCA actually is. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is the body set up to run the UK-wide compensation scheme for people infected and affected by the infected blood scandal, following recommendations from the Infected Blood Inquiry, whose final report was published on 20 May 2024. So this is not just an administrative newsletter. It is a progress update on how the state is responding to one of the gravest public scandals in NHS history. (gov.uk) **What this means for you:** the 7 May 2026 update is really answering two practical questions. First, how many claims are moving. Second, who can now get into the system, even if their full claim has not opened yet. (gov.uk)

The headline figures are significant. IBCA says that, as of 5 May 2026, 4,260 people had been asked to start their claim, 3,923 had started the process, and 3,232 people had been paid compensation worth just over £2.10 billion. It also says 18,530 registrations of intent to claim had been received. (gov.uk) There is one important catch in that last number. IBCA says registrations of intent are not the same as unique people or unique claims, because some people may have registered more than once. So if you are trying to read these figures carefully, the best way to think about them is this: they show strong demand and real movement, but not a simple one-person, one-claim queue. (gov.uk)

The quickest movement, in this update, is among living people who are infected and have never previously been compensated. IBCA says it brought in 246 more claims from that group over the previous fortnight, and expects to keep bringing in larger numbers over the coming weeks. The reason it gives is straightforward: these claims are closer to groups it has already worked through, so fewer service changes are needed. (gov.uk) Other routes are still moving more slowly. IBCA says claims involving deceased infected people and affected people are continuing in smaller numbers for now while it builds the service with enough confidence to widen access. In plain terms, the scheme is expanding, but it is still expanding in stages rather than all at once. (gov.uk)

The update also points readers to IBCA's second public board meeting, held on 6 May 2026. According to the authority, the meeting covered progress, community feedback, finances, evidence requirements, identity checks and the business plan, and IBCA apologised for technical problems with the sound during the first half. (gov.uk) That may sound procedural, but it matters. Board papers and advisory material published around the meeting show that evidence thresholds, identity checks and incomplete records are still live issues in getting claims through the system. For many families, that is where a compensation scheme can feel either manageable or exhausting. (ibca.org.uk)

The biggest practical change in this newsletter is the opening of registration for deceased affected claims. IBCA says you can now register intent to claim if you have legal authority to act for a deceased affected person, or if you are representing someone who has that authority. An affected person, in IBCA's definition, is a partner, parent, child, sibling or unpaid carer of someone who was infected. (gov.uk) The date window is precise, and it matters. For an estate to be eligible, the deceased affected person must have died between 21 May 2024 and 31 March 2031. To make the claim, you must be the executor or administrator of the estate, or be in the process of becoming one, which means being able to obtain probate or confirmation in Scotland. IBCA said separately on 5 May 2026 that this change means every eligible group can now register intent to claim, even though claims themselves are still being opened in phases. (gov.uk)

Another part of the update deals with cirrhosis, and this is one many readers may need explained carefully. IBCA says medical understanding has changed: in rare cases, cirrhosis can improve or reverse, but deciding that is difficult and cannot be done from a single test result alone. Its published clinical guidance says decisions are made using wider medical information and specialist advice, not one isolated reading. (gov.uk) The reassurance here is important. IBCA says that if medical records confirm a person had, or probably had, cirrhosis caused by their infection, their compensation will not be reduced simply because their liver health later improves. In those circumstances, payment stays at infection severity level 3. If someone thinks they were paid incorrectly already, the authority says they should contact their claim manager for a review. (gov.uk)

IBCA is also still urging people to register their intent to claim if they may be eligible, including where someone may need to make an additional claim. The authority says registration helps it contact people once it can begin that claim route, and helps it spot cases that may need to be prioritised under the Infected Blood Inquiry recommendations. (gov.uk) There is a safety reminder too. IBCA says it has anti-fraud systems in place and warns people to check any suspicious message or phone call directly with the authority. In a scheme involving bereavement, trauma and large compensation sums, that is not a small detail. It is part of protecting people who have already had to carry far too much. (gov.uk)

If you are reading this for yourself or for your family, the fairest summary is that the scheme is moving, but not yet at full pace. More than 3,200 payments and more than £2.10 billion paid is real progress, and opening registration for deceased affected claims is another clear step forward. At the same time, IBCA is being open that some routes are still being tested, learned from and widened gradually. (gov.uk) So the useful takeaway is simple. If you have not registered intent, do that. If you are dealing with an estate, be ready for probate or confirmation. If your case involves medical evidence, be prepared for IBCA to look at the wider record rather than one document or one test. None of that makes the wait fair, but it does make the process easier to understand. (gov.uk)