Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) people who have been advised by their healthcare teams to shield beyond 1 August 2020 and (b) other people on the Shielded Patients List are able to access healthcare up to and after that date.

From 1 August the Government will be advising that shielding will be paused, unless local measures are in place. From this date, the Government is advising the clinically extremely vulnerable to adopt strict social distancing rather than full shielding measures. Strict social distancing means you may wish to go out to more places and see more people but you should take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household or support bubble.

The core support offer, which will continue to be available to the end of July, covers the following three areas of assistance:

- Essential supplies – a free, standardised weekly parcel of food and household essentials;

- Medicines – arrangements to have medicines delivered to people’s homes by local community pharmacies or their dispensing doctor; and

- Social contact and basic needs – for example, emotional or social support such as people to talk to on the phone or via a computer.

After 1 August, NHS Volunteers will continue to help with transport to a medical appointment, medicines deliveries and provide peer support and companionship to people who are shielding as they transition to the new guidance.

The Government will continue to engage extensively with partners and the healthcare system throughout this process to help ensure they are meeting the needs of those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.