Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers today asked the Prime Minister to intervene and ensure care home residents in Barnet are vaccinated after she was told that perhaps only 13 out of 85 local homes for the elderly have received the jab.
Speaking in the Covid-19 statement in the Commons, Theresa said: “I received a worrying call this morning from the chair of Barnet Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee indicating that it may be that only 13 care homes in the borough have received vaccinations. Will the Prime Minister intervene to make sure the frail elderly and their carers in Barnet get the vaccinations they need as soon as possible?"
In reply Boris Johnson said: “Yes, I will. I have said that I want to have maximum transparency, and I want to see an accelerated roll-out of vaccination in care homes. So far, I believe that 10% of care home residents and 14% of care home staff have received the vaccine, but that clearly needs to be stepped up.”
Speaking afterwards Theresa added: “The call from Cllr Alison Cornelius, chair of the HOS Committee, was very concerning but I am pleased the Prime Minister has made it clear he will find out what has happened and that we need to step up to vaccinate all the vulnerable in our communities as quickly as possible."
“I am hoping this is just a delay in reporting and that the care homes figure is actually better than 13, but we must remain vigilant and ensure everyone in the top four priority groups - residents in care homes, over 70s, health and care workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable get vaccinated by mid-February.”
From the early days of the pandemic, Theresa has spoken up in Parliament on matters relevant to care homes and protecting the vulnerable people who live there.
