Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether an increase in the number of GP appointments will be needed as a result of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's recommendations on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for 2025.

The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation programmes. The aim of the COVID-19 immunisation programme is to prevent serious disease, leading to hospitalisation and/or mortality, arising from COVID-19. On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

For spring 2025, the JCVI advises that, as with previous spring campaigns, a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in a care home for older adults, and the immunosuppressed aged six months and over. The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme. The Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.

In the 12 months to October 2024, an estimated 379.6 million general practice appointments were delivered, of which approximately 2.8 million were appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations. As the JCVI has not advised for an expanded cohort of vaccine eligibility for 2025 compared to 2024, noting that advice on autumn 2025 is still being considered, additional capacity for general practice appointments is not likely to be required.