Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all educational settings were closed from 23 March 2020, pausing the delivery of the 2019/20 school immunisation programmes.

In June 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned school-aged immunisation providers were able to implement their restoration and recovery plans to commence partially delivered or incomplete programmes during the summer period. This included the delivery of programmes in school and community settings following a robust risk assessment in line with United Kingdom COVID-19 guidance. As such, by the end of July 2020, 91% of all NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned providers were delivering school aged immunisation programmes, ensuring those eligible for the human papillomavirus vaccine had been offered at least one dose of the vaccine. The school-aged immunisation providers have continued to operationalise their restoration and recovery plans, with delivery that continued throughout August and September 2020 in line with the Government’s guidelines.

The publication of England’s national vaccine strategy has been delayed as a result of our ongoing focus on responding to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. As such, plans for the vaccine strategy will be kept under review. We endeavour to update and refresh the strategy in 2021, to accurately reflect the changing landscape and investment in vaccine development carried out by the COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health’s report, Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, has raised a number of important issues. The recommendations including those relating to contraception care and data collection processes, will be considered as part of our upcoming work to develop the sexual and reproductive health strategy.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health’s report, Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, has raised a number of important issues. The recommendations including those relating to contraception care and data collection processes, will be considered as part of our upcoming work to develop the sexual and reproductive health strategy.

It is a legal requirement that pharmacy (P) medicines, which include emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) products, can only be sold or supplied, or offered for sale or supply, from a registered pharmacy. The sale or supply must be undertaken by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist. Information on the number of pharmacies in England that are unable to provide EHC in a confidential and a COVID-19 secure way is not collected centrally.

No assessment has been made centrally of the level of confidentiality in pharmacies for women who request EHC. However, most pharmacies now have a private consultation room where discussions with pharmacy staff can take place without being overheard. The Government has no specific plans to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills as a general sales list medication. Emergency contraceptive pills are currently available without prescription from pharmacies. Any applications to make them available on general sale from other retail outlets would be considered in accordance with the Government’s usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

It is a legal requirement that pharmacy (P) medicines, which include emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) products, can only be sold or supplied, or offered for sale or supply, from a registered pharmacy. The sale or supply must be undertaken by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist. Information on the number of pharmacies in England that are unable to provide EHC in a confidential and a COVID-19 secure way is not collected centrally.

No assessment has been made centrally of the level of confidentiality in pharmacies for women who request EHC. However, most pharmacies now have a private consultation room where discussions with pharmacy staff can take place without being overheard. The Government has no specific plans to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills as a general sales list medication. Emergency contraceptive pills are currently available without prescription from pharmacies. Any applications to make them available on general sale from other retail outlets would be considered in accordance with the Government’s usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

It is a legal requirement that pharmacy (P) medicines, which include emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) products, can only be sold or supplied, or offered for sale or supply, from a registered pharmacy. The sale or supply must be undertaken by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist. Information on the number of pharmacies in England that are unable to provide EHC in a confidential and a COVID-19 secure way is not collected centrally.

No assessment has been made centrally of the level of confidentiality in pharmacies for women who request EHC. However, most pharmacies now have a private consultation room where discussions with pharmacy staff can take place without being overheard. The Government has no specific plans to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills as a general sales list medication. Emergency contraceptive pills are currently available without prescription from pharmacies. Any applications to make them available on general sale from other retail outlets would be considered in accordance with the Government’s usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

It is a legal requirement that pharmacy (P) medicines, which include emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) products, can only be sold or supplied, or offered for sale or supply, from a registered pharmacy. The sale or supply must be undertaken by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist. Information on the number of pharmacies in England that are unable to provide EHC in a confidential and a COVID-19 secure way is not collected centrally.

No assessment has been made centrally of the level of confidentiality in pharmacies for women who request EHC. However, most pharmacies now have a private consultation room where discussions with pharmacy staff can take place without being overheard. The Government has no specific plans to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills as a general sales list medication. Emergency contraceptive pills are currently available without prescription from pharmacies. Any applications to make them available on general sale from other retail outlets would be considered in accordance with the Government’s usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Sexual and reproductive health services have remained open during the pandemic. However, physical access remains more limited. Services are maintaining access during this time through scaling up of online services including increasing eligibility through current provision or utilising a neighbours’ service for residents of another local authority. Public Health England has recently launched the National Framework for e-Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This new national framework will allow local authorities and service providers to purchase an expanded range of online services including emergency contraception and the contraceptive pill.

Local authorities in England are mandated to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services including sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, notification of sexual partners of infected persons and access to the full range of contraception methods free from prescription charge. It is for local authorities to decide how these services are delivered.

Routine vaccinations delivered in primary care have continued to be delivered as priority services, with the exception of shingles vaccination for those people over 70 who have been shielding. However, if patients are attending their general practitioner practice for other reasons and it is clinically appropriate to offer them the shingles vaccine, they will be given the vaccine. We expect this service to fully recommence shortly, following advice from Public Health England.

Delivery of school-age vaccination programmes has been impacted following the school closures, although programmes are delivered at different times by different providers throughout the academic year. This means there will also be local variation in restoration of the programmes. Some outstanding vaccinations will be delivered by the beginning of the next academic year, and the remainder are expected to be completed by the end of the academic year 2020/21.

All vaccinations will be delivered with appropriate social distancing and infection control procedures to protect the public. Routine immunisations continue to be offered to all eligible patients.

The primary challenges in restoring routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic include school closures, for delivery of school-based vaccination programmes and the need to observe social distancing and provide vaccinations in line with guidance on infection prevention and control requirements. The National Health Service is continuing to assess these challenges and respond appropriately as we move into subsequent phases of the pandemic.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with regional commissioners to ensure routine childhood immunisations continue to be delivered in primary care settings during the pandemic. Programmes delivered through schools are currently on hold and will be rescheduled as schools open.

People in the age group eligible for the shingles vaccine are required to take particular care to avoid a situation where they are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 so they are not being actively called for immunisation but if they are attending the general practitioner practice for other reasons and it is clinically appropriate to offer shingles vaccine, they will be given the vaccine.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are drawing up an immunisation recovery plan, taking into account risk assessment advice from Public Health England.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

No assessment has been made. The information requested is not collected centrally.

Public Health England (PHE) shares data with the World Health Organization (WHO) EURO on a weekly basis. Anonymised data is sent that contains age, sex, country, date of birth, laboratory confirmation, date first sample was taken, SARS-CoV-2 laboratory result, admission to hospital, date of hospital admission and underlying conditions.

PHE reports data on behalf of the devolved administrations. The level of information the devolved administrations share with PHE to share with WHO EURO may differ from what PHE reports for England.

Women who give birth are given information about, and offered a choice of, all contraceptive methods by their midwife within seven days of delivery and therefore have no immediate need to access such services from a general practitioner.

Work preparing the National Health Service has been ongoing and we have already doubled ventilator capacity. New and existing suppliers are being asked to build as many as they can. The Prime Minister has issued a call to United Kingdom industry to produce additional ventilators and the Department asked appropriate potential manufacturers on Friday 13 March to come forward with proposals for ramping up the production of existing designs or new ventilation machines. Nearly 4,000 companies have responded, including defence contractors.

Around a dozen potential prototypes have now been presented to the Department which we are currently pursuing.

The Department is considering carefully all available evidence around the potential of different medicines for use in treating COVID-19.

Clinical trials are being developed to assess the benefits of a number of different medicines in treating COVID-19. Further medicines may be trialled should evidence indicate to the Department that this would be an appropriate course of action.