FOI-01165

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  <h3 class="nhsuk-warning-callout__label">
    <span role="text">
      <span class="nhsuk-u-visually-hidden">Important: </span>
      2026-01-16: Correction identified in Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme data    </span>
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  <p>An error has been identified in the underlying dataset used to produce this Freedom of Information (FOI) response. The issue relates to the metric “cumulative total of awarded claims to bereaved claimants” within Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) COVID-19 claim volumes and outcomes data.</p> 

  <p>The error has since been corrected in the published VDPS datasets. However, the data contained within this FOI response has not been retrospectively updated, as FOI responses reflect the information held at the time of disclosure.</p>
  <p>We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and recommend that users refer to the amended datasets for the most accurate and up-to-date figures:</p>
<p><a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-non-covid-19">https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-non-covid-19</a></p>
<p><a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19">https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19</a></p>
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Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

1) How many claims have been made to the VDPS due to an adverse reaction to a covid vaccine to date? 

2)How many claimants have been notified of an outcome? 

3)How many claims have been successful?  Please provide a breakdown of which vaccine were used in the claims awarded. 

4)How many claims have been rejected / unsuccessful? 

5)What are the reasons for claims being rejected (causation, not meeting 60% threshold, ineligible to claim.) Please provide numbers? Please provide a breakdown of which vaccine was used in the claims when causation was accepted. 

6) Is it possible to give the conditions that have met the criteria e.g VITT, GBS?.’ 

7) How many claims have been waiting over 12 months, 18 months for a decision? 

8) How many of the successful claims involved a fatality? 

9) How many requests for a mandatory reversal have been received? How many staff have been employed to process the mandatory reversals? 

Your request was received on 11 May and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

##Response

A copy of the information is attached. Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data. 

All data as of 22 May 2023. All data relates to claims received by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) and those transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 1 November 2021. All figures provided below relate to COVID-19 vaccines. 

5,708 claims have been received by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. 

1,710 claimants have been notified of an outcome. 

96 claimants have been notified they are entitled to a Vaccine Damage Payment. All 96 claims were awarded where the AstraZeneca vaccine was used.  

1,614 claims have been rejected, and a further 109 did not meet the criteria for medical assessment 

Of the 1,614 claims: 

1,481 claims were unsuccessful because the independent medical assessor recommended that, on the balance of probabilities, the vaccine did not cause the disability in question (causation).                             

133 claims were unsuccessful because, although the claim met the criteria for causation, the independent medical assessor recommended that the vaccine has not caused severe disablement. Under the VDPS severe disablement means at least 60% disabled, based on Schedule 2 of The Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations 1982. Of the 133 claims, This number broken down by vaccine type: 
92 were AstraZeneca 
31 were Pfizer 
10 were Moderna   
                                                                                                   

Conditions of the 96 claims awarded a Vaccine Damage Payment: 

VITT/Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis: 

45
 
Guillain-Barre Syndrome: 

28 

We have decided not to break down the claims by condition as the number for each falls below five. This is because the claimants could be identified when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available. 

Other (including transverse myelitis, Bell's Palsy; stroke/ CVA; Myocardial Infarction; bilateral sequential optic neuropathy; vaccine-induced vasculitis; severe bleed on the brain; bacterial pneumonia; immune response to vaccine; inflammation of lungs; acute allergic reaction; GBS, multiple organ failure, subarachnoid haemorrhage, pneumonia, death; multiple blood clots throughout the body; neuromyelitis optica and transverse myelitis; idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Mental health affected; critical lower limb ischaemia with rhabdomylosis; intracerebral haemorrhage (bleed in the brain) and confirmed thrombocytopaenia; acute hypertension due to non-aneurysmal sub-arachnoid haemorrhage associated with vaccine administration and chronic heart disease; swelling and rashes in face, chest and fingers and lost all sensation in upper limbs and loss of vision; 

 chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, the chronic form of Guillain-Barre syndrome.): 

23 

Claims waiting for a decision: 

547 claims were received more than 12 months ago and have not yet reached an outcome. Of these 547 claims, 151 claims were received more than 18 months ago and have not yet reached an outcome.  

As part of the process of the scheme, we need a full set of medical records for each claimant, and it can take time for the claimant’s healthcare providers to gather and securely supply copies of these records. 

Once sent for assessment, the time it takes for the independent medical assessor to review a claim can vary from case to case depending on the individual circumstances of each claim. 
 

37 of the claims where an award outcome has been communicated were made on behalf of someone who has died. 

160 requests for a mandatory reversal have been received. Processing mandatory reversals is part of the normal process of the VDPS and therefore no staff have been specifically employed to carry out this task. 

Please note that this request and our response is published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at: 

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-01165 

##Data Queries 

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data, please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.net  foirequests@nsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: 

“NHSBSA Copyright 2023” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Tags: Covid payments, VDPS, covid-19
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log