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 providers outside of primary care providing immunisation services and support catch-ups with patients to relieve pressure on primary care.

Providers other than primary care make a valuable contribution to the national immunisation programmes, for example, some maternity services provide pertussis and flu vaccinations, and most school-aged vaccinations take place outside of primary care.

The 2019 National Health Service review of vaccinations and immunisations delivery sought to explore how to increase uptake of vaccinations and consider if vaccines could be safely and efficiently delivered by providers other than general practice, building on the contribution of community pharmacies to seasonal influenza coverage, and the possibility to widen the range of health professionals who deliver vaccinations.

Any changes in delivery models would be carefully considered with due regard to patient safety, data flows, impact on outcomes and contractual requirements.