Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
5
There is a risk that NHSE&I and DHSC’s plans for the vaccine programme will not...
Conclusion
There is a risk that NHSE&I and DHSC’s plans for the vaccine programme will not meet public expectations. NHSE&I recognises that its goal to vaccinate the first four priority groups by 15 February is a huge task which it appears to be on track to deliver. As no-one can be forced to have the vaccination, NHSE&I will determine the programme’s success based on the number of people offered a vaccine rather than the number of people who are vaccinated. The daily vaccination totals published by government, however, are based on the number of vaccines administered, not offers made. We are concerned that using these could create confusion among the public about progress with the vaccine programme. NHSE&I has lengthened the time between individuals’ first and second doses of the vaccine from 3 to 12 weeks. It asserts that this delay is not linked to the introduction of new lockdown measures, but “basic maths” that it is better to have more people with single dose protection than a smaller number with double dose protection. NHSE&I currently expects around 25% of people will not take-up the offer of a vaccination but is hopeful that actual take-up rates will be higher. We are nonetheless concerned about how vaccines will be deployed across parts of the country with different age demographics, local need and people with vulnerabilities. NHSE&I recognises that there is a trade-off between equity of access and the speed of deployment and that it cannot allow one part of the country to race ahead of another. Recommendation: NHSE&I and DHSC need to immediately set out in detail what they are planning to achieve so the public has a better understanding of what the daily progress reports mean in practice. It should clearly set out: the definition of ‘vaccinated’ and ‘offered a vaccination’; and expected take up rates across both doses and across different cohorts, for example by age and ethnicity. Progress should also be reported at local, regional, devolved and UK levels in a consi
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Re commendation implemented In January, the government set out its Covid-19 Vaccine Delivery Plan. The vaccine deployment programme aims to achieve maximum uptake of a COVID-19 vaccination offer and met the government’s objective of offering a first dose of vaccination to everyone in the top four Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority groups by 15 February 2021. The department and NHSE/I are continually adapting our delivery plan and approach, building on what has worked well and are on track to meet future delivery targets: 15 April 2021 for adults 50 and over; 31 July 2021 for all adults. The government is aiming for the highest possible uptake in all groups; and report vaccination figures. It offers vaccinations through a number of routes and have asked people to come forward if they have not yet been contacted but should have been as part of the priority cohorts being invited for their vaccination. The deployment programme has been designed to encourage uptake across all groups, including for example offering appointments in a number of different ways. The government published the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Plan on 13 February 2021. The vaccination programme publishes clear and simple updates on progress. Since 24 December, the government has published consistent and comparable daily data on the total number of vaccinations across the UK and in each of the 4 countries - Vaccinations | Coronavirus in the UK (data.gov.uk). For England, NHSE/I publishes weekly data of people given their first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine covering a range of characteristics, including age, region, ethnicity and cohort.