Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people still required to shield can access (a) in person and (b) other essential health services.

The COVID-19 shielding programme for people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable was formally ended by the government in September 2021. The decision to end the programme was based on there being more information available on the virus and what makes individuals more or less vulnerable, the success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the emergence of effective treatments for the disease

However, because a smaller number of immunosuppressed people may remain at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, despite vaccination, the Government has put in place a range of enhanced protection measures including treatments, booster vaccines, free lateral flow tests and public health advice for these individuals on keeping themselves safe. More information can be found in COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk, updated on 13 November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk