Thank you for your request for information about the following:

Request

You asked us:

‘I request disclosure of the following information in relation to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS):

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 28 August 2025.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Our response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds some of the information you have requested.

Question 1 - Medical Assessor Qualifications and Expertise

Medical assessor qualifications and expertise

The NHSBSA does not hold information on the medical assessors' qualifications or expertise. This is because this information is the responsibility of the third-party medical assessment supplier.

I hope, however, that the following information provides reassurance on this point:

All claims are assessed by the supplier with a consistent approach.

Each case is considered on its own merits, by an experienced medical assessor.

The contract with our supplier does not require them to tell us details of medical assessors’ qualifications or their experience.

The contract requires that all assessments carried out are undertaken by suitably qualified and experienced Registered Medical Practitioners. This includes being registered on the UK General Medical Council register, with a licence to practise and meet or exceed the following requirements:

Claim allocation

The NHSBSA contracts a third-party medical assessment supplier to carry out medical assessments for the VDPS. The allocation of claims to medical assessors is the responsibility of the supplier.

Question 2 - Independent Clinician Recommendations

a. The statutory disability threshold under the VDPS; and
b. The medical and evidential standard for establishing causation between a vaccine and a disability.

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 does not hold a list of suitably qualified independent clinicians with the relevant specialist expertise to advise claimants on the points you have raised.

Under the government's rules for the VDPS, to qualify for a Vaccine Damage Payment, it must be proved that:

Severely disabled means at least 60% as defined by the principles for assessing the extent of disablement. These are set out in:

More information about eligibility, including a list of eligible vaccines, is available from the government's Vaccine Damage Payment webpage.

Question 3 - Use of the “Green Book” Guidance

The Green Book is not owned or updated by the NHSBSA. Medical assessors use resources to support their assessment, including the Green Book and Principles of Medical Assessment guidance.

A list of resources is available online at:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps-claim-process

The Principles of Medical Assessment guidance was created by the NHSBSA to ensure that the principles are consistently and appropriately applied. This document was last updated during March 2025.

The contract with the third-party medical assessment supplier places an obligation on them to ensure that medical assessors keep up to date with ongoing, new and emerging evidence, including any updates to the Green Book.

The contract also requires that all assessments carried out are undertaken by suitably qualified and experienced Registered Medical Practitioners. This includes being registered on the UK General Medical Council register, with a licence to practise and meet or exceed the following requirements:

All relevant information is considered to make a complete and fair assessment. The medical assessor thoroughly considers:

Cases are determined on a case-by-case basis using facts from the individual case. For example, medical records directly from healthcare providers involved in a claimant’s care. Medical assessors write a detailed outcome report for each claim which explains the evidence available at the time of the medical assessment and how it was considered.

A selection of outcome reports are quality assured by the NHSBSA and measured against the principles and standards expressed in the Principles of Medical Assessment. This is to ensure that the principles are consistently and appropriately applied. An Integrated Quality Assurance (IQA) form is completed by NHSBSA.

The following link will take you to the “Principles of Medical Assessment”: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps-claim-process

Question 4 - Quality Assurance and Governance

Following a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the NHSBSA does not have an internal document specifying the expertise or qualifications of medical assessors. This is because the contract between NHSBSA and the supplying organization requires that all assessments carried out are undertaken by suitably qualified and experienced Registered Medical Practitioners. This includes being registered on the UK General Medical Council register, with a licence to practise and meet or exceed the following requirements:

A selection of outcome reports are quality assured by the NHSBSA and measured against the principles and standards expressed in the Principles of Medical Assessment. This is to ensure that the principles are consistently and appropriately applied. An Integrated Quality Assurance (IQA) form is completed by NHSBSA.

I am unable to provide a copy of the IQA forms as this is personal information and falls under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3(A)(a) of the FOIA. As the requested information contains personal information including special category personal data, I consider this information is exempt. This is because it would breach the first data protection principle as:

a) it is not fair to disclose their personal details to the world and is likely to cause damage or distress.
b) these details are not of sufficient interest to the public to warrant an intrusion into their privacy.

The requested information is exempt if disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles. For disclosure to comply with the lawfulness, fairness, and transparency principle, we either need the consent of the data subject(s) or there must be a legitimate interest in disclosure. In addition, the disclosure must be necessary to meet the legitimate interest and finally, the disclosure must not cause unwarranted harm.

This means that the NHSBSA is therefore required to conduct a balancing exercise between the legitimate interest of the applicant in disclosure against the rights and freedoms of those identified in the IQA reports.

While I acknowledge that you have a legitimate interest in disclosure of the information, the disclosure of the requested information would cause unwarranted harm. Disclosing this information would be unfair and as such this would breach the UK General Data Protection Regulation first data protection principle.

Please see the following link to view the section 40 exemption in full: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40

In addition, disclosure of the requested information is also a breach of the common law duty of confidence. An individual who has been identified could make a claim against the NHSBSA for the disclosure of the confidential information.

The information requested is therefore being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 41(1) ‘Information provided in confidence’ of the FOIA.

Please click the below web link to see the exemption in full: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/41

Data Queries

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk 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 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 2025” This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence:
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.