Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients do not have access to a vaccination centre within 20 miles; and what assessment they have made of the impact of proximity to a vaccination centre on vaccine uptake.

99% of the population in England live within 10 miles of at least one COVID-19 vaccination site. UK-wide data is not held centrally.

The Department is continuously monitoring COVID-19 vaccine uptake and assessing ways to increase it further – with accessibility being a key driver. To support vaccine deployment and minimise inequalities in uptake, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed practical guidance for communities to implement a range of interventions to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations.

To ensure that uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is maximised, there are now more sites in England delivering COVID-19 vaccines than at any other point in the programme, with around 3000 in total. This includes delivery though hospital hubs, vaccination centres, mobile/pop-up facilities, Primary Care Network-led sites, and community pharmacy-led sites. The network of vaccination sites has been designed to deliver the expected vaccine supply as quickly as possible and ensure safe and easy access for the whole population. For those in highly rural areas, where a vaccination site may be more difficult to reach there is a standard operating procedure for roving and other mobile delivery models to go directly to these communities.