Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that people who are eligible for Covid-19 booster vaccinations have access to local vaccination clinics.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are many vaccination sites available for eligible individuals including walk-in centres. We continue to do everything to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccination is convenient and easy for all who are eligible. The network of vaccination sites has been designed to deliver the expected vaccine supply at pace and ensure safe and easy access for the whole population.
Flexible delivery models such walk-in and mobile vaccination clinics have been used to increase access and convenience of the vaccination offer, particularly for those in deprived communities where ethnic minority groups tend to be overrepresented. Additionally, for those in highly rural areas, where a vaccination site may be more difficult to reach there is a standard operating procedure for roving and other mobile delivery models to go directly to these communities.
The Government has worked closely with the National Health Service to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine, including through ‘grab a jab’ pop-up vaccine sites across the country. 99% of the population in England live within 10 miles of at least one COVID-19 vaccination site.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2022 to Question 94752 on Vaccination, with reference to the findings of the UK Health Security Agency's reports on (a) Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) coverage report, England, April 2020 to March 2021, dated 23 November 2021 and (b) Shingles vaccine coverage (England): annual report of the financial year 2021 to 2022, last updated 11 November 2022, what steps his Department is taking to increase vaccine uptake.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department works with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the NHS to improve immunisation access by providing clear, accurate information about eligibility, and the benefits of vaccines.
For both the adult pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations, general practices (GPs) proactively invite patients to come forward throughout the year when they reach the eligible age. GPs also provide these vaccines opportunistically when patients visit their GP for any other reason. The Department encourages anyone unsure of their vaccination status or eligibility, to contact their GP for advice.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to infant immunisations at eight weeks of age.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Immunisations for babies at eight weeks are routinely delivered by general practitioner (GP) practices, who take responsibility for improving immunisation access by communicating key information on vaccinations through the practice website and their leaflets, in addition to NHS England updating their central website. NHS England also proactively invite families and carers to immunisation appointments and encourage healthcare providers to take every opportunity to promote the importance of infant immunisation through midwife contact, health visitors and the routine six-week post-birth check.
The Department encourages those who have missed their immunisation offer to catch-up via their GP and for anyone unsure of their vaccination status or eligibility, to contact their GP for advice.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that kidney patients (a) are supported to take up covid-19 vaccinations and (b) receive information on the potential declining protection from previous doses of vaccines.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
While the effectiveness rates of COVID-19 vaccines are very good, people who are on immunosuppression medications for the treatment of advanced kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients, may not receive the same level of protection, also known as antibody immunity, from the COVID-19 vaccine as people who are not on immunosuppressive medication.
While more research is needed to learn more about the effectiveness in people with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), those on dialysis, and transplant recipients, COVID-19 vaccines have been demonstrated to be safe in this population.
In line with The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice, COVID-19 vaccination is offered to those aged 16 years old and over with CKD and those aged five years old and 15 years old with chronic conditions of the kidney. Individuals who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression are also eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. More information regarding clinical risk groups and eligibility is set out in the COVID-19 Green Book chapter 14a.
We are continuing to support all eligible groups to take up COVID-19 vaccination and to provide information regarding the benefits of vaccination, its effectiveness, and the risks of not coming forward. Anyone eligible for either a flu or COVID-19 vaccine, is encouraged to take up the vaccine as soon as possible to give themselves the best possible protection this winter.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage covid-19 vaccine take-up in patients with severe mental illness.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government continues to work with the National Health Service and UK Health Security Agency to provide information to explain the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination and has launched a nationwide communications campaign to encourage eligible members of the public to protect themselves by getting their COVID-19 boosters. To raise awareness of the risks of being unvaccinated and to make vaccination as convenient as possible, guidance is being given to general practitioners, primary care networks and vaccination services to prioritise individuals coming forward for vaccination.
Resources are also being shared by Charity Partners to ensure greater reach to individuals with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) as well as invites sent to those with SMI and their carers to further encourage them to come forward for vaccination. We are also providing reasonable adjustments for individuals, where identified or requested, including quiet spaces and additional resources.
There is a collaborative approach to analyse and understand the vaccine uptake data for those with SMI through engagement with national and regional mental health leads, health inequalities leads and data analysts. To understand what works and develop good practice, the COVID-19 vaccination deployment programme works closely with NHS SMI programme leads in addition to engaging closely with SMI charities.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government will take to support the World Health Organisation's mRNA Technology Transfer Hubs in light of commitments within the G20 Leaders’ Declaration.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are working with industry, Gavi and other international partners on practical efforts to scale up capacity and engage on planning to accelerate vaccination programmes globally. In March 2022, the UK hosted the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit, which raised over US$1.5 billion, including a UK pledge of £160 million to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to help develop vaccines against new health threats in 100 days and rapidly scale-up manufacturing. We continue our engagement to identify opportunities for the UK to collaborate with initiatives and implementing partners, including with the G20 as it takes forward work in this area.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the take up is of the flu vaccine for over 50s in the Halton local authority area compared to the same period in 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The following table shows the uptake for the flu vaccination in Halton local authority in the 50 to 64 years old age group and all those aged 65 years old in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 season, as of 31 October 2022.
| 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
50 to 64 years old in a clinical risk group | 43.9% | 43.8% |
50 to 64 years old not in a clinical risk group | 24.3% | 23.2% |
Aged 65 years old and over | 62.2% | 68.9% |
Sources:
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase take up of the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government continues to work with the National Health Service to provide information on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, such as a national campaign to encourage eligible people to receive a booster dose. The COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to use mobile clinics, vaccine ambassadors and partnerships with faith and community organisations.
By the week ending 27 November 2022, the UK Health Security Agency reports that approximately 66.4% of eligible adults aged 50 years old and over have received an autumn booster dose. NHS England has delivered over 16.3 million autumn COVID-19 booster vaccinations and is continuing efforts to maximise uptake.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to increase the level uptake of the HPV vaccination in boys.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is offered to all school-aged children predominantly by school-based providers, with alternative sites available for those not in mainstream education. NHS England provides catch-up opportunities for anyone who may have missed their vaccination offer and NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency deliver annual communication campaigns to promote the HPV vaccine via general practitioners and universities. A HPV awareness campaign is planned for 2023 and will include a focus on the protective benefits of the HPV vaccine for boys.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to address regional variations in covid-19-related staff absences in adult social care settings.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government continues to assist adult social care settings manage COVID-19 pressures and ensure continuity of care. This includes infection prevent control and testing guidance to minimise transmission of COVID-19 in adult social care, prevent staff absences and protect the most vulnerable. We are also encouraging all frontline health and social care workers to take up the offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccination as soon as possible. Where staff absences do occur, local authorities are responsible for ensuring there is sufficient staff to provide care and to develop and deploy contingency measures where necessary.