Vaccination rate targets in Scotland and safety issues: FOI review

Information requested

1. Please would you publish the vaccination rate targets for Scotland given to NHS Scotland by the World Health Organisation. Please break down the information into age-group cohorts.
2. Please describe the process of how the Scottish Government reviews and assesses these targets set by the World Health Organisation.
3. Please publish the minutes of the meetings where these targets were agreed upon,
4. Please publish details of which board in Scotland has responsibility for monitoring the outcomes as well as the investigation of safety issues related to the Covid – 19 vaccines e.g. toxicology, co-administration with other vaccines, adverse effects, potential harms and benefits.
5. Please advise the role of the NHS Boards in the above as well as Public Health Scotland, as pertains to current circumstances, with the Coronavirus Scotland act being in force.
6. If no board/organisation/department of the Scottish Government nor NHS has any function in the above please advise which UK wide board/organisation/department carries out these functions.

Response

I have been asked to look at your request afresh, to decide whether the original response should be confirmed, with or without modifications, as appropriate, or that a fresh decision should be substituted. I can confirm that I was not involved in the handling or decision-making around the original response.

I have examined the information held on our electronic information management system and, having done so, I have concluded that a fresh decision should be substituted. Please find a response to each of your questions in turn.

1. Please would you publish the vaccination rate targets for Scotland given to NHS Scotland by the World Health Organisation. Please break down the information into age-group cohorts.

This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information because the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not specifically given the Scottish Government or NHS Scotland any targets for COVID Vaccination Rates.

However, you may find the following information helpful.

The Scottish Government has been clear in providing its ‘targeted vaccination rates’. The former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeane Freeman MSP announced in parliament on 19 November 2020 that our position is to “with minimum delay, vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible”… “vaccinating the adult population in Scotland – that’s anyone aged over 18 – is 4.4. million people”.

You can find the statement to parliament on the Scottish Government website here. In addition, you can find further information on vaccine uptake rates through the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard.

2. Please describe the process of how the Scottish Government reviews and assesses these targets set by the World Health Organisation.

This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information because the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not specifically given the Scottish Government or NHS Scotland any targets for COVID Vaccination Rates.

However, you may find the following information helpful.

The Scottish Government is guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in its approach to vaccination and seeks to maximise uptake in all cohorts. We monitor the NHS Scotland Vaccination Programme through regular meeting with territorial NHS Boards, the Flu Vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination programme board and delivery groups to report on uptake and ensure the vaccination programme continues to be delivered at pace.

3. Please publish the minutes of the meetings where these targets were agreed upon.

In response to your request on information regarding what the Scottish Government’s ‘targeted vaccination rates’ are, and as set out in response to Question 1, the Scottish Government has always been clear. The former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeane Freeman MSP announced to parliament on 19 November 2020 that our position is to “with minimum delay, vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible”… “vaccinating the adult population in Scotland – that’s anyone aged over 18 – is 4.4 million people.”

The Scottish Government’s position announced on the 19 November was agreed at a meeting on the 12 November with the First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Director General Health and Social Care. I have included the following information below:

• Annex A – Deep Dive on Vaccination – PowerPoint

You can find the statement to parliament on the Scottish Government website:

• COVID Vaccine delivery: Health Secretary's statement Thursday November 2020

It is important to note that the Scottish Government did not consider vaccination target rates published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) whilst developing our vaccination policy.

On reviewing the information in scope of your request, some exemptions have been applied in line with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I have enclosed the reason for exemptions in Annex B.

4. Please publish details of which board in Scotland has responsibility for monitoring the outcomes as well as the investigation of safety issues related to the Covid – 19 vaccines e.g. toxicology, co-administration with other vaccines, adverse effects, potential harms and benefits.

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Public Health Scotland (PHS) and the Flu Vaccination and COVID-19 Vaccination (FVCV) Programme Board are responsible for monitoring the outcomes of the NHS Scotland Vaccination Programme.

In regards to investigating safety issues, should an individual have an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccination. The relevant NHS Board should report any instances to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Public Health Scotland (PHS). The relevant board may also hold a Performance Advisory Groups (PAGs) to review the incident.

I have outlined contact information for each of the organisation below:

• Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Public Health Scotland (PHS) - Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests - Contact us - Public Health Scotland

5. Please advise the role of the NHS Boards in the above as well as Public Health Scotland, as pertains to current circumstances, with the Coronavirus Scotland act being in force.

Please see response outlined in Question 4.

6. If no board/organisation/department of the Scottish Government nor NHS has any function in the above please advise which UK wide board/organisation/department carries out these functions.

Please see response outlined in Question 4.

Finally, you raised the following concerns about the handling of your request:

1. You advised that we directed you to NHS Scotland in relation to one of our response and that you would expect that we sought the information from NHS Scotland and responded appropriately to the question.

I appreciate the concerns you have raised, however, as part of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act (FOISA) 2002. The Scottish Government is required to provide the information that we hold as an organisation and where possible give appropriate advice or information. In our previous response, we directed you towards NHS Scotland as they may hold the information you are seeking, however, as they are considered a separate public authority under FOISA you would need to contact them directly. Information on contacting NHS Scotland can be found on their website here.

2. You advised that in the paragraph noting information for a review, you were provided with no name or email address.

On reviewing our response, I can see that we provided you with the following which includes information on how to contact the relevant individual. Please note that no name was provided as this is a shared mailbox which multiple directors have access to.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202200326016 - Information release

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