Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the payment rate per COVID-19 vaccination administered by (1) a GP in a GP surgery, (2) a qualified pharmacist in a setting outside a GP surgery, and (3) other trained personnel in a mass vaccination location; what is the cost breakdown for each payment; and what is the reason for adopting a differential payment structure.

Payments for both general practitioner-led services and community pharmacy contractors are set at £12.58 per dose administered, regardless of the role of the staff member that is delivering the vaccine. This is set out in the respective enhanced service specifications for both models of vaccine delivery. This rate has been set at a level of 25% more than the current £10.06 received for an influenza vaccination. This is in recognition of the need for extra training, post-vaccine observation, and other associated costs with delivering COVID-19 vaccines beyond the supply of vaccines, consumables, and requisite equipment which is supplied at no cost to contractors.

Supplementary payments are also made available on an ad-hoc basis at the discretion of NHS England where contractors are required to deliver vaccines in a different way or to a specific timescale, such as in care homes, to reflect the additional costs of doing so. National Health Service trusts operating the hospital hub or vaccination centre delivery model are not paid on a per item basis. The additional costs of delivering vaccinations are reclaimable from NHS England by trusts. This approach reflects and is consistent with existing differences in the contractual relationships between NHS England and NHS trusts and foundation trusts and with primary care contractors.