Recommendation 22

We were concerned that this approach risked creating a ‘stop-start’ system where the logistics for vaccinations people were in place, but would be difficult to get up and running again if the roll-out was paused while other areas caught up. NHSE&I confirmed 55 Qq 63–65 56 Q 67 57 C&AG’s Report, para 4.13 58 Q 77–78, Department of Health and Social Care, UK COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan, 13 January 2021 59 Qq 77–78, Department of Health and Social Care, UK COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan, 13 January 2021 60 C&AG’s Report, para 26, 4.8–4.11 61 Qq 68, 81 62 Q 81 COVID-19: Planning for a vaccine Part 1 17 that it was bearing in mind the importance of having a smooth distribution in addition to vaccinating priority groups as soon as possible. It noted that the mix of delivery models, including mass vaccination centres and community pharmacies, would be essential in helping smooth the distribution of vaccines in local areas and meet the needs of the population in each area.63 NHSE&I changed how it communicated with PCNs about what and how many vaccines would be delivered each week, including communicating directly with vaccine sites to ensure information was not delayed. It told us that, as of the end of the day, it would also have shared information with PCNs on the supply of vaccines available over the next two weeks rather than only the next week, so that PCNs could better plan ahead. It explained that it would contact individual PCNs if additional supply became available and would focus any additional supplies on PCNs with the largest populations of the priority groups being vaccinated to ensure that they had enough to vaccination patients in “roughly the right order” without holding up overall deployment.64