People with Learning Disabilities to remain outside of group six vaccinations

Mon,22 February 2021
News Health & Social Care

UPDATE: The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations has confirmed that everyone with a learning disability will now be prioritised for vaccination under group 6.

Original story continues below:

Ministers are insistent that people with learning disabilities will not necessarily be prioritised in group six vaccinations.

Group six includes people considered to have ‘severe’ or ‘profound’ learning disabilities. But Charities including DR UK and Mencap have called on Government to include all people with learning disabilities.

DR UK’s Fazilet Hadi said: “People with learning disabilities are six times more likely to die than people without learning disabilities. Last weekend, for the first time in a long time, people with learning disabilities were front and centre in terms of news coverage as the BBC DJ Jo Whiley highlighted her sister Frances’ lack of vaccine, despite living in a care home, despite being high risk, and despite the fact she is now  ‘fighting for her life’ having contracted Covid.

“It shouldn’t take a celebrity to get people with learning disabilities recognised in media and by government. We will continue to press upon government the importance of vaccines for this group. The lives of people with learning disabilities matter. The deaths speak for themselves. People like Frances must be prioritised.”

Mencap has a template letter asking your MP to write to Matt Hancock. You can find it here: https://secure.mencap.org.uk/en-gb/prioritise-all-learning-disabilities-coronavirus-vaccine