Researchers from the University of Essex to explore reforms to the UK's Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme
They have launched a questionnaire for people to share their experiences
People who may have suffered life-changing side effects after receiving a vaccine have been invited to have their say on the UK's Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
A questionnaire has been launched for people to share their experiences.
Dr Emmanuelle Lemaire, from the University of Essex, is behind the research and questionnaire.
The VDPS was set up in 1979, and it offers a one-off, tax-free ÂŁ120,000 payment to people "severely injured" by a vaccine.
An FOI request by Dr Lemaire shows that just 5.3% of claims were succesful.
In an interview with Greatest Hits Radio Essex News, she said:
"We really want to understand the limitations of the current vaccine damage payment scheme. "
"We want to explore possible avenues for reform. So to do that, we really want to bring different voices into the conversation."
The VDPS was meant to be a "temporary fix", and has remained in place "for more than four decades."
She said that claims "can fail for many reasons."
"5% is strikingly small. So the next question obviously is why do we have such a low success? And whether or not it's unusual."
"But I think you know there's another side to this conversation that we shouldn't overlook, making sure that the UK has a compensation scheme.
"At the moment the scheme is a payment scheme. It's not a compensation scheme. So people receive a one off payment tax free of ÂŁ120,000, which is really low, if you have life changing conditions.
"So it's not a a compensation as such, and the NHS Business Service Authority, which manages the scheme currently, is very careful to point out that it's not a compensation scheme and that the payment is not compensation.
"It is very important that the UK has a compensation scheme for vaccine injured individuals that is generally fit for purpose."