Jul. 20 2023
Source Page: Whole of Government Accounts, 2020-21Found: Due to previous measures taken by the government – including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 72915 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, how many of the 217 rejected claims were rejected for (a) lack of causation and (b) falling below the 60 per cent disablement threshold; and what were the five most commonly cited (i) disabilities and (ii) other health impacts in claims that were rejected.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Of the 217 rejected COVID-19 claims, 199 were rejected due to lack of causation and 17 were rejected due to not meeting the 60% disability threshold. One claim is invalid as not meeting the eligibility to apply under the Scheme.
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme assessors do not accept or reject specific conditions or injuries. Claims are individually assessed on a case-by-case basis by an experienced independent medical assessor. We are unable to provide the information requested on the health conditions of individuals whose claims have been rejected as it relates to personal information, from which unsuccessful claimants could potentially be identified.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November to Question 73787 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, how many requests for medical records relating to claimants for vaccine damage payments have been outstanding for more than (a) one month and (b) six months; and if he will make it his policy that such requests be complied with as if they were subject access requests.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
As of 8 November 2022, there were 755 claims awaiting the provision of medical records for at least one month. Of these, 157 claims were awaiting records for over six months. The NHS Business Services Authority can submit subject access requests to healthcare providers after a specific period, unless there has been an agreement for a timeline for the provision of records.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications have been (a) received and (b) decided for mandatory reversals of Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme decisions relating to covid-19 vaccinations; and what the maximum time period is for those applications to be decided upon.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
127 applications for mandatory reversals have been received as of 20 April 2023. The number of decisions reached on these applications is under five and therefore cannot be provided as the exact number may make individual claimants identifiable in the public domain. Whilst there is no maximum time period for the assessment of mandatory reversals, they usually take around six months, due to the need to gather updated medical records. This can vary from case to case, however, depending on the individual circumstances of each claim.
There is no limit on the number of times a reversal can be requested and no time limit on making such a request.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are employed in the NHS Business Services Authority's quality assurance processes for reviewing Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme claims relating to covid-19 vaccinations; and how many claims initially recommended for acceptance have been overturned as a result of those processes.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) employs a number of clinical specialists to quality audit a sample of vaccine damage payment scheme assessment reports prepared by the independent medical assessment supplier. We are not able to disclose the exact number of clinicians currently employed by the NHSBSA to carry out these assessments, because the total number falls below five and clinicians could be identified when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available.
The purpose of the quality audit undertaken by NHSBSA’s clinical specialists is to check that the independent medical assessor has followed guidance and available scientific evidence in a way that is consistent and fair. The clinicians may request that the independent medical assessor provides clarification of points raised within a report before a claim outcome is finalised. However, the NHSBSA does not overturn decisions.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum period is after the administration of a covid-19 vaccine at which the level of disability caused by that vaccine can be assessed for the purposes of a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There is no minimum or maximum period after the administration of any vaccine at which the level of disability caused by that vaccine can be assessed for the purposes of a payment under the vaccine damage payment scheme (VDPS), although claims must be made on or before the date on which the disabled person turns 21 years old, or six years on from the date of the vaccination, whichever is later. The VDPS assessment of disablement looks across the whole period during which the claimant has suffered and is expected to suffer, based on all the medical evidence available, not just disablement at a particular point in time. This means that in some cases, even where there have been serious short-term symptoms, over the whole assessment period it may be that the disablement does not meet the 60% threshold.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend or pause applicable limitation periods applying to Civil claims for compensation for loss arising from covid-19 vaccinations to take into account delays being experienced in making claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are currently no plans to extend or pause the limitation periods that would apply to claims relating to COVID-19 vaccines.
The Department has worked closely with the NHS Business Services Authority to transform the administration of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in order to process claims more quickly and reduce delays. This includes increasing the number of administrative staff, modernising processes, working to improve the return rate of medical records, and introducing a sampling approach for quality assurance of medical assessments.
Oct. 24 2023
Source Page: Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2021-22Found: 2021 -22 did not see the same court closures as 2020 -21, this period spanned the early stages of the vaccine
Mentions:
1: O'Kane, Paul (Lab - West Scotland) They see the economic illiteracy of the Tories, which has inflicted immeasurable damage on our communities - Speech Link
2: Kerr, Stephen (Con - Central Scotland) To be frank, we are kidding ourselves if we do not acknowledge that the extended coronavirus restrictions - Speech Link
3: McNeill, Pauline (Lab - Glasgow) It is impacting on more and more people and the damage that it is causing is there for all to see. - Speech Link
4: Gallacher, Meghan (Con - Central Scotland) We saw that during the height of the pandemic, when rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine. - Speech Link
5: Somerville, Shirley-Anne (SNP - Dunfermline) It is a deep disappointment that the UK Government has ended the energy bill support scheme. - Speech Link
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 166115 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, what steps his Department has taken in response to safety concerns about Covid-19 vaccinations as a result of the 23 successful claims in respect of deaths recorded by Coroners as having been caused by a Covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Vaccine safety remains at the forefront of the COVID-19 vaccine programme. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has a robust safety surveillance strategy in place for monitoring the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines approved in the United Kingdom. This includes closely considering all coroners' reports sent to MHRA that list vaccination as a possible contributing factor of death. Coroners' verdicts are part of the wide range of evidence continuously gathered and analysed by MHRA, including self-reporting tools such as the Yellow Card Reporting Scheme.
Should any information indicate a possible new safety concern, the system is well placed to rapidly and thoroughly investigate this, with advice for healthcare professionals and patients updated where appropriate.