Administrative and medical assessment costs for the government’s vaccine injury support scheme have significantly exceeded compensation payments to injured individuals, according to newly released data. The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), established to provide financial support to people harmed by any type of vaccine, has seen substantially increased operating expenses in recent years as claim volumes have risen following the pandemic.
Total operational spending on the VDPS reached £83m between April 2022 and March 2026, comprising staffing, administration, and medical review costs. In contrast, the amount distributed as financial compensation to claimants totaled £31.6m as of June 2026. The costs associated with independent medical assessments—a mandatory step in the application process—increased dramatically from £4.3m in 2022/23 to £19.3m in 2025/26. Since the scheme’s administration transferred to the NHSBSA in November 2021, the organization has received 24,260 claims, though only 264 have been approved.
Applicants must undergo review by an independent doctor to establish whether they meet the threshold for “severe disablement” before becoming eligible for a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000. The NHSBSA attributed rising operational costs to the increasing volume of claims, particularly those related to Covid vaccines including the AstraZeneca jab. Critics, including the Taxpayers’ Alliance think tank and the advocacy group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK, have questioned the scheme’s efficiency and called for reforms.
The government indicated it is considering recommendations from the Covid inquiry’s module four, which proposed increasing payouts and basing them on the degree of injury suffered. Officials stated they are working to accelerate claim processing and enhance the applicant experience while carefully considering reform proposals and preparing a response.
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