Firm assessing Covid vaccine harm replaced after costs rose to £48m

The BBC reports the NHS has paid nearly £50m to an outsourced firm assessing Covid vaccine harm and a new provider has been appointed to take over the medical assessments under a separate contract.

The BBC reports the NHS contracted an external firm to carry out medical assessments for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) after Covid vaccinations. The contract, originally estimated at a much lower value, was handled by Crawford & Company Adjusters from March 2022. As costs and the number of claims rose, the NHS has arranged for a different provider to take over the work. Key facts: - The article reports the NHS paid nearly £50m to Crawford for assessment work under a five-year contract that was initially estimated at about £6m. - More than 22,000 claims related to Covid vaccines have been made, with only about 1% resulting in compensation payouts; reported payouts for Covid vaccine harm totalled £29.8m to mid-November, with 249 people receiving payments. - The NHS announced that Maximus UK Services Limited will take over responsibility for medical assessments under a new five-year contract estimated at £27m; the start date is not yet confirmed. - Health Secretary Wes Streeting is reported to be reviewing potential reforms to the VDPS, and the Covid inquiry considered the scheme with a report due on 16 April. Summary: The article describes a rise in NHS payments for assessment services after a higher-than-expected volume of vaccine-related claims, and it notes the planned transfer of assessment work to a new provider under a differently valued contract. Undetermined at this time are the full reasons for the contract's original terms and how any review of the VDPS will change future arrangements.