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 prepare for the roll out of a potential covid-19 vaccine among (a) social care workers, (b) residents of care homes and (c) people in receipt of in home care; and if he will publish the outcomes of discussions he is having with (i) the care sector, (ii) the NHS and (iii) local authorities on access to covid-19 vaccines for care providers.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consists of independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine(s) the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI has advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.

Therefore, in line with the recommendations of the JCVI, the vaccine will be initially rolled out to these priority groups, including care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old, and health and care workers. The vaccine will then be prioritised amongst the rest of the population in order of age and risk, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and all individuals aged 16-64 years old with underlying health conditions.

We have engaged regularly with the care sector, the National Health Service, and local authorities in planning for and rolling out the vaccine.