Taxpayer funds spiral to £48 million as vaccine harm assessment firm is replaced
The NHS has paid nearly £50 million to an outsourced firm assessing claims of medical harm caused by vaccines, a BBC investigation has revealed. This figure is eight times the original estimate for the assessment work carried out by Crawford & Company Adjusters and almost £20 million more than the total compensation awarded to those injured or bereaved due to Covid vaccines.
The firm's five-year contract, initially valued at £6 million, still has over a year left to run. However, a new company will take over the work in the coming months. The NHS spokesperson attributed the high costs and contract expenditure to the volume of claims exceeding anticipated levels.
Over 22,000 claims related to Covid vaccines have been made, with most involving the AstraZeneca jab. Yet, only about 1% have resulted in compensation payouts, handled by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS).
A law professor criticized the contract's nature, suggesting its peculiarity and the significant uncertainty at the time of its creation. They proposed a shorter contract with a cap on processed claims. The NHS responded to the spiraling costs, citing the varying procurement times for public sector organizations and the contract's complexity.
The US-based parent company of Crawford was contacted for comment, but referred the BBC to the NHS.
