Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support he is providing to public health teams to target areas of low covid-19 vaccine take up in areas of greatest deprivation (a) in York and (b) nationally.

In December 2021, the Government announced £22.5 million for the Community Vaccine Champions Scheme to support 60 local authorities with lowest COVID-19 vaccine uptake, including those in areas of greatest deprivation. Community Champions will work with local councils address barriers to accurate vaccine information and encourage community members to get vaccinated.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have targeted communications with all eligible citizens which is linked to work by contact tracers engaging with resistant or hesitant groups on a one-to-one basis. In addition, the NHS also contacts individuals who are eligible and not yet taken up the offer of a vaccine. Clinical commissioning groups have advertised clinics online with leaflet drops to coincide with planned ‘pop-up’ clinics.

The main York vaccination site has opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week with a walk-in service. Pop-up clinics have opened at York St Johns to address low uptake in the Guildhall ward, with accompanying leaflet drops to promote local clinics. NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with community transport providers and local voluntary sector groups to support funded transport. A pharmacy provider offer has been established where low take up has been identified, supported by targeted publicity. Outreach clinics are targeting vulnerable groups such as the homeless and asylum seekers, tailored learning disability clinics have been provided at Askham Bar and Haxby and mobile units deployed to housebound patients and schools in areas of greatest deprivation.