Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that immunosuppressed people, such as those with kidney transplants, can book their fourth dose of the covid-19 vaccination online; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle potential difficulties that vaccinators encounter when recording fourth booster covid-19 doses of immunosuppressed people on the Pinnacle IT system.

The National Booking System was updated on 31 January 2022 to enable severely immunosuppressed individuals aged 16 years old and over to book a fourth dose online. Individuals must have received a letter from a general practitioner (GP) or hospital specialist inviting them to book a third primary or booster dose; be aged 16 years old and over; and have received their third primary dose at least two months prior to making the booking.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are not aware of any specific issues relating to the recording of fourth doses. Guidance was sent to all vaccination sites on 7 January 2022 reminding GPs and hospitals of the existing guidance on the recording of third primary and booster doses on the Point of Care system.