Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the prioritisation of people with learning disabilities for vaccination against covid-19 and (b) stakeholders expert in the care of support of people with learning disabilities on how best to communicate information about vaccination for covid19; and if he will make a statement.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level.

While the JCVI’s clinical view remains that those at greatest risk are people with severe and profound learning disabilities, the Committee supports the practical operational approach of inviting everyone on the general practice Learning Disability Register to be vaccinated as part of cohort six in phase one. Adults with Down’s syndrome are considered clinically extremely vulnerable and are included in priority group four. Individuals with severe and profound learning disability are in priority group six.

The Department engages regularly with stakeholders on the care and support of people with learning disabilities. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s learning disability and autism programme has worked collaboratively across the National Health Service and other partners to support the delivery of reasonable adjustments in the vaccination programme and help people with learning disabilities and their carers familiarise themselves with the vaccine process. This has included producing a range of easy-read leaflets, a COVID-19 vaccine film and training materials for vaccinators and volunteers.