Find further support

The Haemophilia Psychological Support Service offers additional services to members of the Scottish scheme with inherited bleeding disorders.

If you're interested in this service, please speak to your local Haemophilia Centre and / or contact them direct on 0131 2421270.

In addition, there are other organisations that provide support to people who received infected blood and their families:

• Scottish Infected Blood Psychology Service (SIBPS) (external link)
• Access the SIBPS Patient Information Leaflet
• Hepatitis C Trust (external link)
• Hepatitis Scotland (external link)
• Haemophilia Scotland (external link)
• Scottish Infected Blood Forum (external link)
• Waverley Care (external link)
• Support in the Right Direction (external link) The aim of SiRD is to increase the delivery of independent support for people who require social care. Three quarters of the way down the page, there is a portfolio of charities which may be helpful to beneficiaries (and anyone else) who are seeking support.
• Self Directed Support Scotland (external link) This page includes a useful tool for finding the most relevant local support organisations in your area.
• Directory of travel insurers who cover serious medical conditions (external link)
• Directory of insurance brokers (external link) There are a number of benefits to seeking insurance through a broker, instead of approaching individual companies.
• HIV and Life Insurance Consumer Guide (external link)
• Debt advice (external link) Debt advice is generally provided by the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux and the National Debtline also provides free debt advice. Local authorities and some housing associations also provide money advice (although housing associations only normally support their own tenants/customers) and can help individuals to access the Scottish Welfare Fund if appropriate. The Scottish Welfare Fund is a discretionary grant scheme from Scottish local authorities available to help those on a low income with day to day expenses. If someone may be able to apply, they should contact their local Council – see Council contact details and webpages. For anyone seeking advice or support with money worries or other issues due to a lack of income, the individual can also go to the Scotland’s Financial Health Service (SFHS) website. SFHS provides information on debt and money issues, and signposts users to organisations in Scotland offering support and advice. The website also provides information on other government initiatives.
• Money and Debt Scottish advice on money and debt from the Scottish Government website
• Money Helper English advice on money and debt
• Benefits advice (external link) Welfare Rights Advice can be accessed from the person’s local authority or from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau or Citizens Advice Direct. The DWP website also provides guidance and benefits calculators. There are also regional law centres available that can provide free legal advice and various debt advice charities: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/where-to-get-help-and-advice-about-benefits#law-centres https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/debt-advice-locator#telephone-debt-advice-services
• Access the guidance on tax and benefits. Any payments you receive from the scheme do not need to be taken into account when calculating your UK income tax bill. This includes any entitlement to means-tested benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions. Our guidance document provides more details on this. It also identifies what to do if you encounter any problems relating to this.