Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is in place for people with advanced dementia to gain consent for covid-19 vaccinations in (a) care homes and (b) the community.

Before giving a COVID-19 vaccine, vaccinators must ensure that they have obtained informed consent from the individual or a person legally able to act on the person’s behalf and that this has been recorded appropriately. Where a person lacks the capacity to consent at the time of vaccination, in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, a decision to vaccinate may be made in the individual’s best interests once all practical steps have been taken to support the person to make the decision for themselves. The decision-maker acting on an individual’s behalf must consider all the relevant circumstances, including the person’s wishes, beliefs and values, the views of their family and what the person would have wanted if they had the capacity to make the decision themselves.