FOI-03498

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

<strong>Request</strong>

You asked us:

<i>‘I request the following information relating to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS):
    
1.  In the past five years, how many VDPS applications included contemporaneous GP records documenting symptoms following vaccination?
2. In how many of those cases did NHSBSA, its medical assessors, or any tribunal dismiss or disregard the GP documentation on the basis that it was a “clerical error”, “documentation error”, “mistaken entry”, “not credible”, or similar reasoning?
3.	Please provide any internal guidance, policy instructions, or assessment criteria used by NHSBSA or contracted medical assessors regarding:<br>
 •       the treatment of contemporaneous GP evidence,<br>
 •       circumstances in which such records may be considered incorrect,</br>
 •       and procedures for verifying such records.<br>
4. How often does NHSBSA record instances of GP documentation errors in VDPS assessments? If recorded, please provide annual figures for the last five years.
5. Does NHSBSA hold any risk assessments, internal reviews, or audits relating to the reliability or treatment of GP medical records in VDPS decision-making? If so, please provide copies or summaries.’</i>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 3 January 2026. 

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. 

<strong>Our response</strong>

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds some of the information you have requested.

<strong>Question 1 – In the past five years, how many VDPS applications included contemporaneous GP records documenting symptoms following vaccination?</strong>

To answer your request the NHSBSA would need to review all GP records held and would require someone with medical expertise to assess whether a claim met this criterion. In the years 2021 to 2025, 20,751 claims had GP records. As a review would involve expert medical judgement, it cannot be carried out by a non-medical person due to lack of medical expertise.

Therefore, the requested information is not held.

Under the FOIA, we are required to consider what information we may hold which would answer your request.  For claims which have reached an outcome, it may be possible to determine from the outcome report whether a claimant reported their symptoms around the time they were vaccinated. However, we would first need to interrogate all outcome reports to understand:
<ul>
<li>the date the vaccine was administered
<li>the date that the symptoms were first reported
<li>and whether the symptoms were reported to a GP rather than another healthcare provider, such as a hospital. </ul>

As of 31 December 2025, there were 19,024 claims which were no longer active which would need to be assessed to determine if the criteria outlined in your request are met. Estimating a minimum of 10 minutes per outcome report, it would take in excess of 3,100 hours to locate, retrieve and extract the requested information.

Therefore, I estimate that the cost of complying with your request would exceed the non-central Government limit of £450 and is therefore exempt under section 12 of the FOIA 2000.

The limit has been specified in The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 and represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether the NHSBSA holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244/contents/made

We cannot offer advice on how you could refine the scope of your request to fall within the appropriate limit. There is no subset of the data requested which would be manageable within the appropriate limit.

<strong>Question 2 – In how many of those cases did NHSBSA, its medical assessors, or any tribunal dismiss or disregard the GP documentation on the basis that it was a “clerical error”, “documentation error”, “mistaken entry”, “not credible”, or similar reasoning?</strong>

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested on GP documentation being disregarded by VDPS or HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is not held. 

The NHSBSA and the medical assessors include all records gathered from a healthcare provider in the medical assessment process, this includes GP documentation. The NHSBSA has no control over the information that is contained or recorded in the medical records it gathers from healthcare professionals. As such, no documentation gathered as part of this process would be dismissed or disregarded as part of the assessment process. 

You can find further information in our Principles of Medical Assessment document. The full document can be found at the below web link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps-claim-process 

In relation to how HMCTS consider documentation as part of the appeals process, we would advise you to contact HMCTS for this information. Their contact details are:

Disclosure Team<br>
Postal Point 5.22, Floor 5<br>
102 Petty France<br>
London<br>
SW1H 9AJ<br>
United Kingdom<br>
Email – <a href=mailto:data.access@justice.gov.uk >data.access@justice.gov.uk </a>

<strong>Question 3 - Please provide any internal guidance, policy instructions, or assessment criteria used by NHSBSA or contracted medical assessors regarding:<br>
  •  the treatment of contemporaneous GP evidence,<br>
  •  circumstances in which such records may be considered incorrect,<br>
  •  and procedures for verifying such records.<br></strong>

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information described specifically in your request is not held by the NHSBSA.

You can find further information in our Principles of Medical Assessment document. The full document can be found at the below web link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps-claim-process 

<strong>Question 4 - How often does NHSBSA record instances of GP documentation errors in VDPS assessments? If recorded, please provide annual figures for the last five years.</strong>

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA. This is not something which the NHSBSA reports on, and where a claimant advises that information held by their healthcare providers is incorrect, we signpost them to their healthcare provider to have this information updated. 

<strong>Question 5 - Does NHSBSA hold any risk assessments, internal reviews, or audits relating to the reliability or treatment of GP medical records in VDPS decision-making? If so, please provide copies or summaries.</strong>

I am writing to advise you that following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by the NHSBSA.  This is because the NHSBSA and the medical assessors include all records gathered from a healthcare provider in the medical assessment process, this includes GP documentation. The NHSBSA has no control over the information that is contained or recorded in the medical records it gathers from healthcare professionals. As such, no documentation gathered as part of this process would be dismissed or disregarded as part of the assessment process. 

You can find further information about the medical assessment process in our Principles of Medical Assessment document. The full document can be found at the below web link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps-claim-process 

<strong>Data Queries</strong>

Please contact <a href=mailto:foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>  ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.

<strong>Reusing the data and copyright</strong>

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact <a href=mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>. 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 2026” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence:<br>
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.


Tags: NHSBSA corporate, Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, nhsbsa, vdps
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log