Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health outcomes of people who were advised to shield from COVID-19 in 2020; and what steps they are taking to protect their ongoing health.

In October 2020, NHS Digital published an analysis of the main health outcomes for shielded patients to August and September 2021. This analysis found that individuals on the shielded patient list had higher rates of emergency admissions than those in the age-matched general population sample before the pandemic. This rate reduced sharply for both of these groups in April 2020. The all-cause mortality rate for individuals on the shielded patient list peaked and reduced at an earlier stage than for the age-matched general population sample. Amongst those who were tested under pillar 1 - swab testing in Public Health England’s laboratories and National Health Service hospitals for those with a clinical need and health and care workers - and were in the shielded patient list or the age-matched general population sample, positive tests recorded peaked in early April 2020 in both groups. A copy of NHS Digital’s analysis is attached, due to the size of the data.

The shielding programme in England ended on 15 September 2021. Most formerly clinically extremely vulnerable people are no longer considered at substantially greater risk than the general population. These individuals are advised to follow general guidance, in addition to any advice from their general practitioner or consultant to reduce their risk of infection.

However, those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 despite vaccination should consider their individual risk, supported by their NHS clinician where necessary. Enhanced protections such as those offered by treatments, additional vaccinations and potentially other non-clinical interventions may benefit this patient group.