Forty-Third Report - COVID-19: Planning for a vaccine Part 1

Select Committee

Public Accounts Committee HC 930 12 February 2021

Report Status Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations 31 items (7 recs)

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Government Response (AI assessment · 31 of 31 classified)

Accepted 9

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 1

Not Addressed 20

Government response

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-third report from Session 2019-21 · published 3 Sep 2021

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Recommendations & Conclusions

9 results

5 Recommendation Accepted

There is a risk that NHSE&I and DHSC’s plans for the vaccine programme will not...

Recommendation

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 … Read more 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 Show less

Government Response Summary

The government agrees with the recommendation, stating it has already implemented it by publishing the Covid-19 Vaccine Delivery Plan and the COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Plan, and provides clear daily and weekly data, including breakdowns by age, region, ethnicity, and cohort.

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6 Recommendation Accepted

Public confidence in the vaccine programme is crucial to its success yet some members of...

Recommendation

Public confidence in the vaccine programme is crucial to its success yet some members of the public and health professionals were confused by the messaging about when and how people can access a vaccine. The number of people who choose … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government agrees with the recommendation and states it has already implemented it, detailing ongoing efforts in clear public communication, provision of information on NHS.UK and GOV.UK, sharing FAQs with partners, and establishing cross-government units to counter misinformation.

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8 Conclusion Accepted

The Chair of the Taskforce took up the unpaid post in May 2020.

Conclusion

The Chair of the Taskforce took up the unpaid post in May 2020. The Chair was appointed by, and reported directly to, the Prime Minister until the term expired at the end of 2020.17 We asked the former Chair about … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government agrees with the committee's observations, stating BEIS has considered its decision-making and appointments processes, implemented improvements for robust decision-making, and will consider replicating these improvements and sharing lessons learned with other departments.

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26 Conclusion Accepted

In 2019–20 the long-established seasonal flu vaccination programme had a take-up rate of 72% among...

Conclusion

In 2019–20 the long-established seasonal flu vaccination programme had a take-up rate of 72% among those aged 65 years and older, and up to 45% for those aged 64 years or younger. NHSE&I explained that it was using the flu … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the conclusion, stating that Public Health England, in partnership with NHS England and Improvement, continues to develop insights into vaccine hesitancy using academic experts, behavioural scientists, regular polling, and qualitative research.

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27 Conclusion Accepted

PHE recognised that people trust their local GP, local faith groups and community groups so...

Conclusion

PHE recognised that people trust their local GP, local faith groups and community groups so public health organisations and local government will have an important role to play to encourage people to take-up the vaccine. Flu vaccination programmes have also … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the importance of convenience and trusted local sources for vaccine uptake and is working to provide choices for vaccination locations (GP practices, pharmacies, mass centres) and culturally sensitive messaging through local authorities and community leaders.

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28 Conclusion Accepted

The number of people who choose to have the vaccine will ultimately be determined by...

Conclusion

The number of people who choose to have the vaccine will ultimately be determined by public trust in the vaccines.78 Our previous reports have shown the importance of clear and consistent communication and that a lack of information during the … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the importance of public trust and clear communication, detailing its ongoing efforts to provide public information via NHS.UK and GOV.UK, sustained communications campaigns informed by polling, and cross-government work to counter myths and misinformation.

HM Treasury

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29 Conclusion Accepted

Research commissioned by PHE showed that about two-thirds of the population were very likely to...

Conclusion

Research commissioned by PHE showed that about two-thirds of the population were very likely to take-up the vaccine, around 10% were unlikely, and the rest were uncertain. For those who were uncertain or unlikely to have the vaccine, efficacy and … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the importance of clear communication and outlines ongoing efforts, including detailed public information on NHS.UK and GOV.UK, proactive communications campaigns based on polling, sharing information with community leaders, and cross-government work to counter misinformation.

HM Treasury

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30 Recommendation Accepted

We were concerned by reports of confusion among health professionals and the public about what...

Recommendation

We were concerned by reports of confusion among health professionals and the public about what to expect from the vaccine programme and when. We asked NHSE&I how it was ensuring clear lines of communication so that people had access to … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the need for clear communication, including FAQs, and details its ongoing efforts to provide public information via NHS.UK and GOV.UK, proactive communications campaigns, and the sharing of FAQs with partners and community leaders.

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31 Conclusion Accepted

NHSE&I explained that it would give people “more than one channel and more than one...

Conclusion

NHSE&I explained that it would give people “more than one channel and more than one chance” to come forward for a vaccine. It expected to have to go back to people who did not come forward after being contacted to … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government states it has worked closely with various bodies on clear public communication regarding vaccine development and rollout, maintaining proactive information campaigns to inform the public, address vaccine hesitancy, and tackle misinformation to prevent scams.

HM Treasury

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