Nurse who was struck down by rare condition linked to Covid vaccine 'not disable enough' for compensation

The illness left her unable to use her hands properly, caused extensive numbness and triggered severe pain.

Although she has since recovered much of her mobility, she continues to experience nerve pain, weakness and lasting sensory problems.

Despite the lasting effects of her injury, her claim to the Government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) was rejected, on the grounds she was no longer considered to be at least 60 per cent disabled.

The scheme provides a one-off payment of £120,000 to people who can demonstrate a vaccination caused their injury, and that their disability meets the qualifying threshold.

Mrs Hoyle said authorities had accepted the vaccine caused her condition, but refused payment since her symptoms had improved.

“They acknowledged that the vaccine caused my transverse myelitis, based on the evidence I supplied with all my medical records, and at the time I was seriously harmed on a value of up to 60 per cent", she said.

“However, they said: ‘You aren’t now, so you don’t need the payment.’”

She is calling for the scheme to be overhauled, arguing that people who suffer serious vaccine injuries should not be excluded from compensation simply because their condition improves over time.

Mrs Hoyle, a qualified advanced nurse practitioner who works as NHS England’s network manager for high-consequence infectious diseases, said an MRI scan had confirmed damage to her spinal cord would never fully heal.

She said: “I have really poor grip in my fingertips, so I constantly drop things. I still have nerve pain down the left side of my arm and numbness across my central chest and that will never resolve."

She believes compensation should be calculated on a sliding scale, taking account of the continuing impact of an injury, rather than imposing a rigid 60 per cent disability threshold.

Her case comes as the Government considers recommendations from Baroness Hallett’s independent Covid-19 Inquiry, published last April, which include reforms to the compensation scheme.

Lady Hallett has called for payments to be scaled, so that people with less debilitating injuries can also receive financial reprieval.

Mrs Hoyle was working at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital when Covid-19 first emerged, and volunteered for the vaccine trial because she believed in the importance of vaccination.

Within an hour of experiencing pain in her neck and spine while on duty, the symptoms had spread into her shoulders and hands.

An MRI scan two days later confirmed transverse myelitis, prompting a temporary worldwide suspension of the trial while her condition was investigated.

She said medical teams independently reviewing her case concluded the vaccine was responsible, although the causal link could not be definitively established through the official assessment process.

Transverse myelitis was subsequently recognised as an extremely rare possible side effect, with Mrs Hoyle receiving a high five-figure sum in an out-of-court settlement from Oxford University.

Despite her experience, she remains supportive of vaccination, and had her youngest son vaccinated against Covid-19 in 2021.

The NHS Business Services Authority, which administers the VDPS, said rejected claims could be challenged and reassessed using updated medical evidence.

The Department of Health and Social Care expressed sympathy for those harmed following vaccination, and said it was "carefully considering" the inquiry’s recommendations.

AstraZeneca said patient safety remained its highest priority, and stressed the benefits of vaccination "outweighed the risks" of extremely rare side effects.