FOI-03769

##Request

You asked us:

<i>Can you please tell me how much it has cost to run VDPS (including staff, admin & Medical Assessor fees; but excluding actual payouts to claimants) in each of four financial years:  2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25; estimate for 2025/26.
 
By my reckoning payouts to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine claimants have been less than 250 * £120K, or £30 millions.
 
I’m trying to get an impression of the relative costs of running VDPS (any vaccine claim) vs SARS-CoV-2 vaccine payouts in the past four years. </i>

On 17 April 2026, you added:
 
<i>I have since found a BBC report in Feb 2026 re £50m paid to the previous contractor during ~ 4 years. Hence, the costs I’m interested in are not the contracted-out costs but VDPS’s own staff (80) & other costs.</i>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 16 April 2026.

On 15 May 2026 you clarified your request:

<i>Please ignore the 17th April email, which was just to let you know that I had located some additional information but £50m relates to contracted out work only & was not provided by financial year. £50m excluded VDPS’s own running /staff costs. Settled claims re SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have amounted to ~ £30m (as per my sum below) which are separate from VDPS-own & contracted-out costs in handling claims/delivering decisions. The latter seems to be considerably higher than payouts (~ £30m).</i>

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

##Our response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested. 

Over the last four years the total annual costs of administering the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), including medical assessment costs, are as follows:
<ul>
<li>in the financial year 2022/23, the total cost of administering the scheme was £8,861,965.84</li>
<li>in the financial year 2023/24, the total cost of administering the scheme was £16,170,563.53</li>
<li>in the financial year 2024/25, the total cost of administering the scheme was £28,803,961.56; and</li>
<li>in the financial year 2025/26, the total cost of administering the scheme was £29,191,321.71</li></ul>

These costs include medical assessment costs, and wider staff and non-staff costs. 

The primary reason for the increase in costs to administer the scheme is as a result of the increase in volume of VDPS applications received and the associated medical assessments required.

For many claims, there is a requirement to request medical records from a range of healthcare providers, including GP surgeries and hospitals. This is a resource-intensive process and is a significant contributing factor to the overall cost of administering the scheme.

<strong>All eligible vaccines</strong>

The latest VDPS data shows that, as of 31 March 2026, 24,755 claims relating to all eligible vaccines has been received. 

<strong>COVID-19 vaccines</strong>

The latest VDPS data shows that as of 31 March 2026, 23,495 applications had been received through the VDPS relating to COVID-19 vaccines. Of these:
<ul>
<li>2,203 initial claims remain live</li>
<li>18,845 claims have been rejected following a medical assessment</li>
<li>1,452 claims were invalid</li></ul>

Invalid claims do not meet the criteria for medical assessment. For example, claims for vaccines that are not included on the government’s eligible vaccines list: https://www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment/eligibility 

##Data Queries

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.

##Reusing the data and copyright

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