Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a GP-operated call/recall system to invite older people to receive the shingles vaccination.

As outlined in both the NHS Long Term Plan and Investment and evolution: a five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently undertaking a Review of vaccinations and immunisations. The Department would not wish to pre-empt the outcome of this Review. Investment and evolution sets out the purpose of the Review as being to:

- Ensure the system incentivises achievement of appropriate uptake rates for immunisations in line with national public health uptake rates;

- Reduce the administrative burden on general practices by simplifying the system if possible;

- Clarify what is expected on call/recall for immunisations delivered through the general practitioner (GP) contract;

- Address anomalies in the system that directly incentivise some vaccines but not others;

- Look at how we deal with outbreaks and catch-up programmes; and

- Consider whether we extend the list of chargeable travel vaccines.

Recommendations from the Review will be implemented through the 2020 and 2021 GP contracts.

A copy of Investment and evolution: a five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan is attached.