Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has had from (a) medical professionals and (b) patients groups on access to free lateral flow tests for (i) immunocompromised patients and (ii) close contacts of immunocompromised patients after October 2023.

Information on all representations from medical professionals and patients groups about access to free lateral flow tests for immunocompromised patients and close contacts of immunocompromised patients after October 2023, could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30 March 2023, in 2023/24 the Government will maintain a range of capabilities to protect those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Given the continued effectiveness of vaccines and improved treatments, for most people there is a much lower risk of severe illness compared to earlier in the pandemic.

Appropriate levels of testing remain to support diagnosis for clinical care and treatment and to protect very high-risk individuals and settings. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and immunocompromised are part of the group who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments in the community enabling them easy access to anti-viral treatments.

Testing of symptomatic staff remains in a very limited number of high-risk settings to protect particularly vulnerable people, such as in some hospices and some NHS settings where staff work with profoundly immunocompromised patients. Information on testing in these settings is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-testing-during-periods-of-low-prevalence