Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adding Operating Department Practitioners (ODP) to the Patient Group Directions (PGD) to enable those with the relevant medical experience to play an active role in the covid-19 vaccination programme.

Provisions have been made in The Human Medicines (Coronavirus and Influenza) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 to expand the workforce legally allowed to administer vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccinations. The changes enable more healthcare professionals, including Operating Department Practitioners, to participate in giving vaccinations with appropriate training and supervision. These regulations came into force on 16 October 2020.