Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence is acceptable to the England Infected Blood Support Scheme to support applications for (a) hepatitis C stage 1, (b) special category mechanism payments and (c) hepatitis C stage 2 payments.

The evidence for stage 1 applications includes medical records to confirm that treatment with National Health Service blood, blood products or tissue occurred prior to September 1991; other medical records of the procedure that led to the need for treatment with blood, blood products or tissue but where this is not specifically mentioned; witness statements; a personal statement regarding the procedure and the circumstances which required the need for treatment with blood, blood products or tissue; and physical evidence of the procedure that led to treatment with NHS blood, blood products or tissue.

Applicants for special category mechanism must request a medical practitioner to provide evidence for the responses given on the application form. This should be their hospital hepatologist doctor or viral hepatitis nurse. If the medical practitioner cannot, or does not, provide evidence for any elements of their answers, they may provide an endorsement based on professional judgement or balance of probability.

Applicants must arrange for their medical practitioner to complete parts 1 to 8 of the stage 2 application form and provide supporting evidence from the applicant’s medical records. This should be the applicant’s specialist for the qualifying condition they have been diagnosed with.