Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is planning to take to offer support for the health of (a) vulnerable and (b) older patients during winter 2021-22.

We are offering a free seasonal flu and COVID-19 booster vaccination to those who receive and provide care. We are also investing a further £550 million until 31 March 2022 to support social care providers with additional winter pressures. The ‘Adult social care: COVID-19 winter plan 2021 to 2022’ sets out the support we are providing for the sector to prevent and control outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, as well as usual winter pressures.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have also established operational winter plans supported by an investment of an extra £5.4 billion for the COVID-19 response until April 2022 and a £250 million Primary Care Winter Access Fund to recruit more doctors and other primary care staff to improve patient access and experience.