Leeds learning disability service Leep1 welcomes JCVI Covid vaccine priority list change

People with severe and profound learning disabilities were already part of priority group six - adults aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions - but care minister Helen Whately yesterday confirmed that all people on the GP learning disability register will now be invited for a vaccine as part of this group.

The new recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) follows calls from BBC presenter Jo Whiley for a change in the guidance after she was offered the vaccine before her sister Frances, who has the rare Cri du Chat genetic syndrome and was recently in hospital with Covid-19.

Mandy Haigh is project manager at Leep1, a self advocacy service for adults with learning disabilities in Leeds.

She said: "It's really important that everyone with a learning disability, whether it be severe or not, are able to access the vaccine and for them to get back to normality as well as to be able to start accessing services again.

"There's been so many benefits through lockdown for adults with learning disabilities in the way they've suddenly had to get online and learn lots of new technological skills, but there's still lots of people who haven't managed to get online and are still very isolated.

"Speaking to our group, there are already quite a few who've had the vaccine. They've been pleased that they've been able to access it, especially the ones with carers at home; their parents who don't get any respite. It's been so difficult for those people."

The JCVI said GP systems may not always capture the severity of someone's disability, meaning some adults more severely affected by learning disabilities may not have been previously invited along with others in group six.

Recent analysis for the JCVI showed a higher risk of mortality and morbidity in those on the GP register with learning disabilities.

It has also called for the NHS to work with local authorities to identify adults in residential and nursing care, and those who require support in the community, who may not be registered.

This will mean at least 150,000 more people with learning disabilities will now be offered the vaccine more quickly, it said.

Jackie O'Sullivan, executive director of communication, advocacy and activism at learning disability charity Mencap, said people must check if they are on the GP register and ask to go on it if they are not.

She said: "Being on the register has many benefits and entitles people to annual health checks and prioritisation for future vaccinations, as well as allowing them to get the Covid vaccine and be confident they are protected."

Ms Whiley appealed for people not to delay if they have a loved one with a learning disability who is not on the register, adding: "I think now attention has been shown on these people, on your situation. So pick up the phone today, call the surgery, just make yourself known, make the person that you care for, you love, known, and you will get vaccination."

The change in priority status comes as the Yorkshire Evening Post and sister titles across JPIMedia continue our A Shot In The Arm campaign, calling for people to be provided with more easy-to-access information on the vaccine programme and its progress.

The campaign also asks for further reassurance for local communities and urges Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deploy the country’s network of 11,000 pharmacies to ensure that every citizen is only a short walk away from a vaccination centre.

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