Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 11 April (HL6530) and 12 April (HL6941), in which he stated that the DHSC will continue to fund and provide COVID-19 testing and that the welfare of immunocompromised patients remains a priority for the spring booster vaccinations, by what means (1) people eligible for priority treatment when testing positive will be identified and prioritised with the removal of the Webview and Shielding Persons List, and (2) those eligible for future vaccinations because of their vulnerable status will be identified.

The Government will maintain a range of capabilities to protect those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Improved treatments and the continued effectiveness of vaccines mean that most people are at much lower risk compared to earlier in the pandemic.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) now have a statutory duty to provide funding within 90 days of the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance to ensure that the recommended treatments are available for National Health Service patients. To support the transition to routine NHS services NHS England has written to potentially eligible individuals and local NHS systems, healthcare professionals and patient groups to update them on the eligibility criteria and upcoming changes to the way treatments are accessed. ICBs have also been asked to work with local service providers to develop and communicate access arrangements to ensure prompt access to treatments. Newly eligible individuals will be advised on how to access COVID-19 treatments following diagnosis of a qualifying condition or commencement of qualifying treatment.

Eligible individuals should be offered the spring booster providing there is at least three months from the previous dose. General practitioners will use updated search systems to identify eligible individuals and invite them to book an appointment online or via a walk-in service.