Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all unpaid carers will have access to the covid-19 vaccine, including those carers not in receipt of state benefits.

On 15 February, Primary Care Networks and the National Booking Service began issuing the first vaccination appointment invitations to those eligible within cohort six of the priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. This includes eligible unpaid carers who care for those vulnerable to COVID-19 and does not exclude on the basis of whether the carer is in receipt of state benefits.

We recognise the vital role that unpaid carers play in caring for vulnerable individuals and we are developing bespoke guidance for this group set out in a Standard Operating Protocol which has been developed in close cooperation with carers organisations and local authorities. This will be published shortly.