Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations to include people over 79.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the United Kingdom’s expert committee that advises the Government on immunisations programmes. In line with JCVI’s advice, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme for adults turning 75 years old began on 1 September 2024 in England, alongside a one-off catch-up programme to rapidly vaccinate all those already aged 75 to 79 years old. The JCVI considered that there was less certainty about how well the vaccine works in people aged 80 years old and older, as there were not enough people of this age in the clinical trials to be able to see if the vaccines are protective in this age band. The Department will consider any further JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation as the committee continues to keep the evidence under review.

A phased expansion of the eligible cohort for the routine shingles vaccination programme began in September 2023. The programme currently includes those aged 50 years old and over who are at increased risk of serious complications, and those turning 65 years old on or after 1 September 2023, as well as those turning 70 years old, as was previously the case. In November 2024, the JCVI provided advice to the Department on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme. This included advice that the Government should consider expanding the shingles vaccination offer to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years old and over. The Department will consider this advice when setting the policy on who should be offered shingles vaccinations.