Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the professional bodies for (1) pharmacists, and (2) GPs, prior to the appeal for eligible adults to come forward for their booster vaccinations on 12 December; and when they expect the NHS vaccination programme to be operating at maximum capacity.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have regular discussions with the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners and community pharmacy stakeholders, including the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee. These bodies were contacted prior to the announcement of 12 December.

Whilst no specific date was set for the vaccination programme to be operating at full capacity, NHS England and NHS Improvement asked health systems to work partners, including local authorities, other public sector organisations and the voluntary and community sector, to maximise delivery during December 2021 and early 2022. This is to ensure every eligible adult over the age of 18 years old has been offered a booster vaccination by 31 December 2021.

As of 19 December, three-quarters of eligible people in England over 40 years old and more than four fifths of people over 50 years old had received a booster dose, with approximately four million doses administered in England.