Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that covid-19 vaccines are accessible for people with mental health issues.

The National Health Service, alongside local health and social care partners have been working to ensure that the entire population has fair and equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, including those with mental health issues.

To enable this, three delivery models are currently in operation across the United Kingdom to allow people to visit a site most appropriate to their needs. They include hospital hubs, local vaccination services and vaccination centres. This flexibility ensures an accessible model for all. Local Vaccination Services for example are well placed to support the specific needs of our highest risk patients in the community and can tailor support to an individual’s needs.

This links closely with a key element set out in the COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake plan - to build trust. To help build trust NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England have been working with Rethink Mental Illness to understand barriers, and common causes of concern faced by people living with severe mental illnesses. They are using these insights to develop and promote targeted communications materials to help respond to and reassure these communities. Top tips for vaccinators have also been developed to support people living with learning disabilities and autism to access COVID-19 vaccinations when it is their turn.