Everyone in Tiers 1 -4 is expected to be vaccinated by mid-February. That is good news and I congratulate the way that South East London Clinical Care Group in combination with the Bromley General Practitioners Alliance have tackled the problem. Thereafter the system should get into an even faster stride to vaccinate everyone else that needs protection.
Of course in such a huge operation there will be people who have been missed out but if those who feel they have been wish it and want to contact me, I will pass on their names and contact details to the South East London Clinical Care Group. The best way of doing that is via e mail: bob.stewart.mp@parliament.uk.
I know that the Bromley General Practitioners Alliance are also very busy at the moment trying to get to people who are housebound. Some people have contacted me worried that they have been missed. They will not be though. But, to that end, I raised the matter as a question in a Statement made by the Health Secretary earlier today (photo):
Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con) Yesterday I was speaking on the telephone to Mrs Bunny England, who was a WAAF in the Second World War, and, at 92, is very, very young. She tells me that she is housebound and no one has contacted her about a vaccination. I assured her that I would inform the quite excellent and responsive South East London Clinical Commissioning Group about her case, and that I was sure she would be contacted very quickly. Can I ask my right hon. Friend, who is doing extremely well, whether we are going to be able to get to every single person in groups 1 to 4, who is housebound, by 15 February?
Matt Hancock Mrs Bunny England is certainly going to get her jab now. I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising her case. I will get straight on to the CCG, which, as he says, is excellent. Of course, we have roving teams right across the country going to people who are housebound. It is very important that we reach all with that offer, and we are on track to ensure that everybody can have the offer of a vaccination by 15 February. I appreciate that somebody in their 90s will have been waiting for that call for a couple of weeks now, but we are making good progress and I will make sure that Mrs England gets her jab.
I gather now that Mrs England was vaccinated this afternoon!
Overall I think we are beginning to motor locally at getting vaccinations done and that is thanks to the incredible hard work and professionalism of the NHS. Let us just hope the end is now in sight.