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• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Dr Onkar Sahota AM: I also am a GP and want to echo the comments about the tremendous efforts made by the NHS staff in delivering the vaccination programme, but there are challenges in London. If you look at the number of over-80s vaccinated, London had the lowest rate of vaccinations. If you look at the patchwork we have in London, I hear that some parts of London are more advanced than the others and I hear that some parts of London have been asked to slow down to let other parts catch up. There are some challenges. It is...

• Question by: Siân Berry
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Siân Berry AM: Thank you very much, Chair. I want to start with Martin Machray if that is all right. I know that we have just discussed the fact that London has been behind in vaccinating the over-80s and the fact that there are differences between boroughs. It has, I think, been hard for both you and us to get up-to-date, detailed, borough-by-borough data collated at a London level, and I just wanted to check what your progress was on making that data available to us so that we can keep an eye on things on a more day-to-day basis...

• Question by: David Kurten
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

David Kurten AM: I would like to ask, yes, Martin Machray if I could, back to the people who were here before. You refer to the vaccine or the injections that people are being given from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna as vaccines. However, the substances from Pfizer and Moderna are not vaccines, as people understand vaccines. They are experimental Messenger RNA (mRNA) gene technologies. Why do you continue to refer to those two substances and injections as vaccines?

• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: I would like to start my questions with Martin [Machray]. I would like to ask you about the take-up of the vaccine amongst blind and visually impaired people. Some serious concerns were raised on the [BBC] Radio 4 In Touch programme last week and have been powerfully highlighted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) relating to the challenges in accessing information and travelling to get the vaccine. In terms of getting the vaccine, I understand why places like the ExCeL centre are being used for vaccinations, but travelling when blind, at the best...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Murad Qureshi AM: Thank you, Chair. Can I address my question to Martin and then Tom? Martin, you informed us earlier that yesterday we had over a million Londoners vaccinated with the first jab. Martin Machray (Joint Regional Chief Nurse for London and Covid-19 Incident Director, NHS England): Yes. Murad Qureshi AM: That is great news, but can you give us an estimate of the proportion of Londoners not registered with GPs, and how we intend to vaccinate them?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Joanne McCartney AM : My first question is to Martin Machray. We have heard earlier that some Londoners are hesitant to get the vaccine and work is being carried out to build their trust and confidence, but are records being kept consistently across all of London’s Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) of those who have declined the vaccine, and is there capacity in the system in a few months’ time to contact those people again whose confidence may have risen?

• Reference: 2023/1481
• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 04 February 2021

Is London now receiving its fair share of COVID-19 vaccinations and can we be confident that it will continue to do so over the coming months?

• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Dr Onkar Sahota AM: Thank you, Chair. My question is to Martin. Martin, the NHS is in the “most dangerous situation in living history”, said the Chief Medical Officer [Professor Chris Whitty], and the “next few weeks will be the worst to come”, he said. Can you tell people listening to this what life is like on the NHS wards now? You said earlier on that we were able to increase our staff, but actually what is happening is that the staff have extended themselves. Previously we had one nurse looking after one patient in an ICU. We have four...

• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Thank you very much, Chair, and thank you to all our guests for everything you are doing to deal with this terrible pandemic. My question is for Martin on the NHS. There are a large number of people in London who are not registered with a general practitioner (GP), particularly those from vulnerable groups. That could be rough sleepers, the homeless, vulnerable migrants and sex workers. Given individuals need to be registered to get the COVID-19 vaccination, how are you looking at reaching those individuals to ensure they have access to it at the right time?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Joanne McCartney AM: Thank you, Chair. Can I start by saying to our guests a big thank you for all you are doing? It really is appreciated. My question is probably best answered by Martin. It is about vaccinations. Data last week showed that London had the fewest vaccination centres per person in the country. I am pleased that the mass vaccination centre at the ExCeL is now open, but given that London has the highest rate of infection in the country, are you confident that the right resources are coming to our city? What else needs to change to...