COVID-19 Vaccination Delivery in London (Supplementary) [14]

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse for London and Covid-19 Incident Director, NHS England):  Yes, so quickly on the three points.  I will go and see if I have data on that particular group.  I would be surprised if I do, but if I do I will write to you and let you know.

Secondly, it highlights, does it not, the real challenge that people living their day-to-day lives, in my limited experience, have.  We are trying to accommodate a national programme.  Therefore, local flexibility and making sure, back to Dr Jameel’s point in the beginning, and others, that we have local opportunities for people to pick up the vaccine is really important and that people, in this group particularly, have familiar routes to go to.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Yes.

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse for London and Covid-19 Incident Director, NHS England):  That is really, really important.  What your question does is highlight the structural unfairness that exists in society over many other things, and the vaccine shines a light on that.

The third thing is you said “when they’re invited” and we had a conversation about confusion around letters.  Let’s be really clear.  If you are over 70 and you have not yet been contacted, I want you to ring 119 and book an appointment, and that can be with your local pharmacist.  Or go online, search online for “vaccine appointments” and book an appointment where it suits you and get that vaccine.  If you are a member of staff - and that will not be in the main, although there are some of our care staff, who are blind and visually impaired - they have been offered that vaccine and we encourage them to take it up in their local healthcare setting where they are familiar.  Thirdly, if you are clinically extremely vulnerable - and many people who are blind also have other conditions, which make them extremely clinically vulnerable - then I encourage them to speak to their healthcare workers, whom they work with already, to get that appointment in a place that suits them.  That is the important point I think you are trying to make.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Lovely, thank you.  Will the NHS in London make sure that communication needs, which are held on health records because of the accessible information standard, are followed in all correspondence with blind and visually impaired people to ensure they get the right information?

Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse for London and Covid-19 Incident Director, NHS England):  That would be my expectation of all my colleagues working in all those healthcare settings and I will reinforce that to them.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Lovely.  Farah, as one of the GPs, can you assure me that you are working carefully with this particular group of Londoners?

Dr Farah Jameel (British Medical Association):  Absolutely, and I think you are right to shine that spotlight on patients more generally with disabilities and the importance that you bring about that local approach, that familiar approach, and what role the GPs, their general practice, their pharmacy, their community setting, can play in their onward care.

Dr Tom Coffey (Mayoral Health Advisor):  Chair, may I just give some data to a question raised by Assembly Member Kurten, please?

Navin Shah AM (Chair):  You can do so.  Could you please do that in writing to Assembly Member Kurten?

Dr Tom Coffey (Mayoral Health Advisor):  It was just to highlight the numbers in care homes, in fact, are dropping at the moment, not rising.

Navin Shah AM (Chair):  OK.

Dr Tom Coffey (Mayoral Health Advisor):  The figures in London have gone from 777 on 22 January [2021] and now it is only 541, just saying.  The care home data, as the vaccine programme is rolled out, is reducing in London, not increasing.

Navin Shah AM (Chair):  OK, thank you very much.