People infected with HIV

 If you have HIV you can claim a lump sum of £80,500.

​​​You can also claim:

• regular payments - currently £32,555 a year
• annual winter fuel costs £618

These rates are for the financial year 2023-24. The payment amounts and assessment criteria may be reviewed in the future. This helps us respond to the changing needs of beneficiaries and the latest clinical evidence.

If you were infected with HIV as a result of NHS treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue

You'll need to confirm:

• you have HIV
• you have not already received any payments for HIV infection from the Macfarlane Trust, Eileen Trust or any other UK ex gratia payment scheme
• it was probable that you were infected with HIV through treatment in England or a British Military Hospital
• you received treatment in more than one country within the UK, then you lived in England, or lived in England immediately before you moved out of the UK

All NHS blood in England was being screened for HIV from October 1985 onwards so it is very unlikely, although not impossible, you would have received HIV through infected NHS blood after October 1985.

If you were directly infected with HIV by someone who was infected by NHS blood, blood products or tissue

You'll need to confirm:

• you have HIV
• it is probable that you were infected by someone who was infected through treatment in England (the person must be receiving payments from us or have received payment(s) from the Macfarlane Trust or Eileen Trust. If they have not then they will first need to qualify for a HIV payment before your application can be considered)
• how you contracted the infection

You could have contracted the infection by:

• sexual transmission
• from mother to baby
• accidental needlestick injury

If you contracted the infection from sexual transmission, you must also confirm:

• you were with the person who infected you at the time, either in marriage, civil partnership or long-term relationship, and living together
• your spouse or partner were unaware they had the infection, or you both took reasonable precautions to prevent transmission at the time of you contracted the infection

It's unlikely that someone infected with HIV has only recently been diagnosed.

However, if you've recently been diagnosed and have never registered with us, you can apply.

To make a claim you need to download and complete an HIV primary eligibility application form (PDF: 177KB).

To request this, contact us.

Medical practitioner’s evidence

As part of the application, we will need a medical practitioner to provide evidence for the answers you give on the application form.

This should be an HIV clinical specialist. If you are not under the care of a specialist you may wish to discuss your application with your GP. They may be able to refer you or provide the information we need.

The medical practitioner completes the form to confirm you have HIV.

We cannot approve your application if it is sent to us with:

• no evidence
• insufficient evidence

​​​​​​We'll be unable to trace medical records to support your application on your behalf. For more information on requesting medical records, go to our requesting medical records page. 

We'll aim to provide a decision on all applications within 30 working days. It may take longer if we need to ask you or your doctor for further information.

If the evidence clearly supports your answers on the application form, we'll approve your application for HIV support.

You'll then receive your lump sum and your regular payments will start. Your regular payments will backdate to the date you submitted your application.

If your application is unsuccessful

If you wish to appeal the decision, you should contact us within 3 months from the date on the letter. We may consider appeals received after 3 months, but only if you can provide a good reason for not contacting us earlier.

Find out how to appeal.

You'll already have received lump sum payments from the Skipton Fund, MFET or another UK scheme.

If you have HIV you'll have received a lump sum from the Macfarlane Trust or Eileen Trust. You'll also receive regular payments from us, which are £29,569 a year, plus £561 winter fuel costs.

If you have HIV and Hepatitis C (co-infection) you'll have received a lump sum from Macfarlane or the Eileen Trust, and from the Skipton Fund. You'll also receive regular payments from us, which are currently either £44,189 (Hepatitis C Stage 1), £51,162 (Hepatitis C Special Category Mechanism) or £51,162 (Hepatitis C Stage 2) a year, plus £618 winter fuel costs.

These rates are for the financial year 2023-24. The payment amounts and eligibility criteria may be reviewed in the future. This helps us respond to the changing needs of beneficiaries and the latest clinical evidence.

The Skipton Fund, The Caxton Foundation, The Macfarlane Trust, The Eileen Trust and MFET Limited are now closed.

If you were a beneficiary of any of these schemes before November 2017 and are not currently receiving support from EIBSS, you can arrange for historic records to be sent to the new scheme. To do this, you can contact:

The Skipton Fund Limited

c/o Russell-Cooke LLP

2 Putney Hill

London

SW15 6AB

Telephone: 0208 789 9111

Email: julie.collingham@russell-cooke.co.uk

Once you have requested for your information to be transferred to EIBSS, you must contact us to ensure we have received all required information. 

You can call us on 0300 330 1294 or email us at eibss@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. Our office is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. We offer a telephone translation service if English is not your first language.

Find out about call charges

As long as you provide written consent, your details will be transferred to the new scheme.

If you were getting regular payments, you'll start to receive these from us.

We'll also tell you how to apply for extra support you might be eligible for.