The Infected Blood Psychological Service is an NHS service for:
- anyone living in England who has been infected by receiving contaminated blood or blood products
- anyone, such as a family member or someone close to them, who has been affected by the contaminated blood scandal
There are 16 regional centres across the country. The East of England Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS) covers Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. People wishing to access IBPS would most often be seen within their local centre. However, people also have the option to choose to be seen in a different area if that is their preference.
The psychological support is provided by clinicians with an understanding of the background and the range of issues faced by infected and affected people.
The service is free and offers support via an appointment in person, over the phone or by a video call. In the East of England, face to face appointments take place on the Addenbrooke's Hospital site in Cambridge.
Referral information
You can request support from this service yourself (self-referral).
You can also refer someone else if you have their consent to do so.
With your agreement, people involved in your care can also refer you, for example, your GP, healthcare provider or voluntary sector support worker.
How to contact the service
Self-referrals can be made through the online form (opens in a new tab) or by calling us on 03003 036286.
The service is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. If you are contacting us by telephone, you may need to leave a message and let us know how best to contact you.
What to expect
We will contact you within 14 days, if not sooner, to arrange an appointment with a member of our team.
The purpose of this initial appointment will be to find out more about the support that you need. If you and the team agree that psychological support could be useful, a plan for further appointments will be made. You will also be able to talk to the team about other services that may be useful to you.
In addition to psychological support, the service can also help put you in touch with other support such as benefits, housing, employment and financial advice. There will also be an opportunity for you to connect with others who have had similar experiences.
Useful resources
NHS Infected Blood Psychological Service (opens in a new tab)
Please be aware that we are a routine service. If you need urgent mental health support:
- Call 111 and select the option for mental health or visit 111 online (opens in a new tab)
- Go to your local A&E
- Make an urgent appointment with your GP
Samaritans
You can also access a free listening service, offering confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:
Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email Samaritans for a reply within 24 hours.
Samaritans website (opens in a new tab)
Shout
Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19.