The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that those with severe and profound learning disabilities, and those with learning disabilities residing in residential care, should be offered vaccine in priority group six and that all individuals with Down’s syndrome should be offered vaccination in priority group four. On 24 February the JCVI published a clarification of their advice on vaccinating people with a learning disability.

The JCVI confirmed their advice that priority should be given to those with a severe and profound learning disability. To efficiently identify those who are more severely affected and may not be invited for vaccination due to coding of learning disability on general practitioner (GP) systems, the JCVI supports a practical approach of inviting everyone who is on the GP Learning Disability Register for vaccination in cohort six.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation of a COVID-19 vaccine at a population level.  For the first phase, the JCVI has advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors which includes people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and/or have underlying health conditions.

Adults with severe or profound learning difficulties and adults with Down’s syndrome are considered to be ‘at risk’ and therefore included as priorities in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme’s roll out.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that the priority for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.

All frontline social care workers directly working with people who are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and need care and support, irrespective of where they work, will be a priority for phase one of the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

The Government will set out plans for phase two of vaccination in due course, based on further advice from the JCVI. Phase two of the roll-out may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.

Under the general practice Direct Enhanced Services scheme, people aged 14 and over who have been assessed as having moderate, severe or profound learning disabilities, or people with a mild learning disability who have other complex health needs are eligible for an Annual Health Check. Such checks are intended to ensure that any undetected health conditions are identified earlier and that on-going treatment and care is appropriate to the individual’s needs.

‘The Refreshing NHS Plans for 2018/19’ guidance, which was published jointly by NHS England and NHS Improvement, sets out the national ambition that by the end of 2018/19 there will be a 64% increase in the number of Annual Health Checks delivered by general practitioners to people on their Learning Disability Registers compared with 2016/17.

The statutory Accessible Information Standard aims to reduce unacceptable variation in the provision of accessible information and communication support to disabled people, including those with a learning disability, thereby helping to increase their participation in choices about their care. It directs and defines a consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting individuals’ information and communication support needs, where those needs relate to a disability or sensory loss. All providers of National Health Service and/or adult social care have been required to follow the Standard in full since 31 July 2016.

The 2014 Children and Families Act introduced new statutory duties that require clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to work together in joint arrangements to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with a learning disability. The Act created a duty for health agencies to ensure that health care provision in a child or young person’s Education, Health and Care Plan is secured.

The NHS also has a legal responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to take account of the special needs of the people with a learning disability. This includes the requirement to make reasonable adjustments to services, including the provision of regular health checks where appropriate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE has published a number of guidelines and other guidance that will support improvements to the quality of care that people with a learning disability receive. We expect clinical commissioning groups to take account of clinical guidelines published by NICE when commissioning services for their local populations.

Through its learning disability programme, Health Education England is ensuring that the NHS workforce has the education and skills needed to effectively deliver and improve services for this patient group. These include resources to upskill the specialist NHS learning disabilities workforce, as well as resources to equip all healthcare professionals to deliver care to people with a learning disability in an appropriate and sensitive way.

Additionally, both NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a range of resources to support the NHS workforce in delivering care that improves the lives of people with a learning disability.

We have made no formal assessment of the economic effect of health inequalities associated with inadequate provision of healthcare on people with learning disabilities.

The Department is not responsible for collecting data on the number of applications to study nursing degree courses.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service publishes data on the number of applications to full-time undergraduate courses. Further information and links to 2017 and 2018 application cycle data are available at:

https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis

The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the broader healthcare funding reforms and, as part of this, plans to publish an update, in autumn 2018, following the closure of the 2017/18 application cycle.

Eligible students will have access to National Health Service grants for childcare (£1,000), travel and accommodation and a hardship fund (£3,000), whilst attending clinical placements.

In order to meet the growing need to increase the future supply of registered nurses, additional clinical placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This will enable around 5,000 more nursing students to enter training each year from September 2018; an historic increase.

Broadening routes into nursing is a priority for the Department. That is why we have developed the new nursing associate role and the Nurse Degree Apprenticeship which will open up routes into the registered nursing profession for thousands of people from all backgrounds and allow employers to grow their own workforce.

The Department is not responsible for collecting data on the number of applications to study nursing degree courses.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service publishes data on the number of applications to full-time undergraduate courses. Further information and links to 2017 and 2018 application cycle data are available at:

https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis

The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the broader healthcare funding reforms and, as part of this, plans to publish an update, in autumn 2018, following the closure of the 2017/18 application cycle.

Eligible students will have access to National Health Service grants for childcare (£1,000), travel and accommodation and a hardship fund (£3,000), whilst attending clinical placements.

In order to meet the growing need to increase the future supply of registered nurses, additional clinical placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This will enable around 5,000 more nursing students to enter training each year from September 2018; an historic increase.

Broadening routes into nursing is a priority for the Department. That is why we have developed the new nursing associate role and the Nurse Degree Apprenticeship which will open up routes into the registered nursing profession for thousands of people from all backgrounds and allow employers to grow their own workforce.

The Department is not responsible for collecting data on the number of applications to study nursing degree courses.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service publishes data on the number of applications to full-time undergraduate courses. Further information and links to 2017 and 2018 application cycle data are available at:

https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis

The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the broader healthcare funding reforms and, as part of this, plans to publish an update, in autumn 2018, following the closure of the 2017/18 application cycle.

Eligible students will have access to National Health Service grants for childcare (£1,000), travel and accommodation and a hardship fund (£3,000), whilst attending clinical placements.

In order to meet the growing need to increase the future supply of registered nurses, additional clinical placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This will enable around 5,000 more nursing students to enter training each year from September 2018; an historic increase.

Broadening routes into nursing is a priority for the Department. That is why we have developed the new nursing associate role and the Nurse Degree Apprenticeship which will open up routes into the registered nursing profession for thousands of people from all backgrounds and allow employers to grow their own workforce.

Under the general practice Direct Enhanced Services scheme, people aged 14 and over who have been assessed as having moderate, severe or profound learning disabilities, or people with a mild learning disability who have other complex health needs are eligible for an Annual Health Check. Such checks are intended to ensure that any undetected health conditions are identified earlier and that on-going treatment and care is appropriate to the individual’s needs.

‘The Refreshing NHS Plans for 2018/19’ guidance, which was published jointly by NHS England and NHS Improvement, sets out the national ambition that by the end of 2018/19 there will be a 64% increase in the number of Annual Health Checks delivered by general practitioners to people on their Learning Disability Registers compared with 2016/17.

The statutory Accessible Information Standard aims to reduce unacceptable variation in the provision of accessible information and communication support to disabled people, including those with a learning disability, thereby helping to increase their participation in choices about their care. It directs and defines a consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting individuals’ information and communication support needs, where those needs relate to a disability or sensory loss. All providers of National Health Service and/or adult social care have been required to follow the Standard in full since 31 July 2016.

The 2014 Children and Families Act introduced new statutory duties that require clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to work together in joint arrangements to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with a learning disability. The Act created a duty for health agencies to ensure that health care provision in a child or young person’s Education, Health and Care Plan is secured.

The NHS also has a legal responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to take account of the special needs of the people with a learning disability. This includes the requirement to make reasonable adjustments to services, including the provision of regular health checks where appropriate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE has published a number of guidelines and other guidance that will support improvements to the quality of care that people with a learning disability receive. We expect clinical commissioning groups to take account of clinical guidelines published by NICE when commissioning services for their local populations.

Through its learning disability programme, Health Education England is ensuring that the NHS workforce has the education and skills needed to effectively deliver and improve services for this patient group. These include resources to upskill the specialist NHS learning disabilities workforce, as well as resources to equip all healthcare professionals to deliver care to people with a learning disability in an appropriate and sensitive way.

Additionally, both NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a range of resources to support the NHS workforce in delivering care that improves the lives of people with a learning disability.

We have made no formal assessment of the economic effect of health inequalities associated with inadequate provision of healthcare on people with learning disabilities.

Under the general practice Direct Enhanced Services scheme, people aged 14 and over who have been assessed as having moderate, severe or profound learning disabilities, or people with a mild learning disability who have other complex health needs are eligible for an Annual Health Check. Such checks are intended to ensure that any undetected health conditions are identified earlier and that on-going treatment and care is appropriate to the individual’s needs.

‘The Refreshing NHS Plans for 2018/19’ guidance, which was published jointly by NHS England and NHS Improvement, sets out the national ambition that by the end of 2018/19 there will be a 64% increase in the number of Annual Health Checks delivered by general practitioners to people on their Learning Disability Registers compared with 2016/17.

The statutory Accessible Information Standard aims to reduce unacceptable variation in the provision of accessible information and communication support to disabled people, including those with a learning disability, thereby helping to increase their participation in choices about their care. It directs and defines a consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting individuals’ information and communication support needs, where those needs relate to a disability or sensory loss. All providers of National Health Service and/or adult social care have been required to follow the Standard in full since 31 July 2016.

The 2014 Children and Families Act introduced new statutory duties that require clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to work together in joint arrangements to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with a learning disability. The Act created a duty for health agencies to ensure that health care provision in a child or young person’s Education, Health and Care Plan is secured.

The NHS also has a legal responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to take account of the special needs of the people with a learning disability. This includes the requirement to make reasonable adjustments to services, including the provision of regular health checks where appropriate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE has published a number of guidelines and other guidance that will support improvements to the quality of care that people with a learning disability receive. We expect clinical commissioning groups to take account of clinical guidelines published by NICE when commissioning services for their local populations.

Through its learning disability programme, Health Education England is ensuring that the NHS workforce has the education and skills needed to effectively deliver and improve services for this patient group. These include resources to upskill the specialist NHS learning disabilities workforce, as well as resources to equip all healthcare professionals to deliver care to people with a learning disability in an appropriate and sensitive way.

Additionally, both NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a range of resources to support the NHS workforce in delivering care that improves the lives of people with a learning disability.

We have made no formal assessment of the economic effect of health inequalities associated with inadequate provision of healthcare on people with learning disabilities.