Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all walk-in covid-19 vaccine centres are adequately supplied with covid-19 vaccine doses; and what steps he is taking to ensure that appointments are not required at those centres.

All sites, including walk in COVID-19 vaccination centres, order their own vaccine supply via the online National Health Service (NHS) Foundry ordering platform in-line with anticipated supply requirements for the week ahead.

Orders are placed against the maximum limitations set by NHS systems and regions to ensure that there is an equitable split of vaccines across each region in England and to avoid oversupply. Where supply is required above maximum limitations, this can be requested and approved. Orders are then approved at a system and regional level before being processed by the national team for distribution.

The national team can also choose to push stock out, but this would only be for a short period, and as an exception in response to a significant change in Government policy, such as the Omicron booster surge currently in place.

We are working across the devolved administrations to ensure the vaccine programme is rolled out as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) leads on the supply management function of the COVID-19 vaccine programme. Each devolved Government receives regular supply updates from the VTF and are updated as soon as new schedules are available.

Appointments are not required at walk-in COVID-19 vaccination centres.