#VaccinesForAll – Campaign for universal access to the Covid vaccine

Today we’ve joined forces with 140 other charities, faith groups, local authorities and medical organisations, to urge the government to ensure that everybody – regardless of immigration status, proof of address or ID – is able to access the coronavirus vaccine safely.

The #VaccinesForAll campaign was launched in The Independent today – read the piece here.

Visit the #VaccinessForAll website here: https://www.vaccineforall.co.uk/

The Call to the Department of Health and Social Care

In order to address the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen public health efforts, the coronavirus vaccine must be safely accessible to everyone, regardless of immigration status, ID or proof of address.

The Government has stated that everyone is able to access the coronavirus vaccine, but in practice, people are being asked for ID, are unable to register with a GP, and are afraid to access services because of longstanding and entrenched barriers to healthcare.

Without further action, the pandemic will continue to have a disproportionate impact on all marginalised groups, including migrant communities, people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, and BAME communities.

We therefore call on the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure the vaccine programme works for everyone, and seeks to address the specific barriers faced by these communities in line with calls from the JCVI.

The Department of Health and Social Care must:

1. Guarantee a firewall that prevents any patient information gathered by the NHS or Test and Trace being used for the purposes of immigration enforcement.
2. End all Hostile Environment measures in the NHS, including charging for migrants, to combat the fear and mistrust these policies have created.
3. Provide specific support to all GP surgeries to register everyone, including undocumented and underdocumented migrants and those without secure accommodation, and ensure that all other routes to vaccination are accessible to everyone.
4. Fund a public information campaign to ensure that communities impacted by the Hostile Environment are aware of their right to access the vaccine and the steps taken above.

End.

Sign up

If you’re an community organisation and you’d like to sign up and support this call for action, then please email Aliya on [email protected].

Suggested action on Social Media (Twitter) 

You could use some of the draft tweets below for your organisation to continue to amplify the message that everybody must be able to access the vaccine regardless of immigration status, and support the call for #VaccinesForAll.

Hashtags to include:

#VaccinesForAll

#EndTheHostileEnvironment

#PatientsNotPassports

Tag: @DHSCgovuk @ukhomeoffice

1. We joined this call to @DHSCgovuk for everyone to be able to access the coronavirus vaccine, regardless of their immigration status. This means an end to NHS charging, a firewall, and support for GPs to register everyone. #VaccinesForAll
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
2. Temporary offers of safety are not enough to undo the decades of harm caused by policies that have embedded immigration controls into public services. We signed this call to @DHSCgovuk so everyone can access the Covid-19 vaccine safely. #VaccinesForAll https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
3. Years of charging migrants for healthcare & sharing patient data with the Home Office has eroded trust between migrant communities and the NHS. For everyone to access the Covid-19 vaccine safely, the #HostileEnvironment must end. #VaccinesForAll https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
4. Primary care has always been free regardless of immigration status, but most people without status aren’t registered with a GP.
   @DHSCgovuk must go further so that everyone can access the Covid-19 vaccine, regardless of immigration status. #VaccinesForAll
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
5. The only way that @DHSCgovuk can make sure everyone gets vaccinated against #Covid19 is the immediate repeal of all Hostile Environment policies, and the creation of an NHS that truly lives up to the principle of universal access for all. #VaccinesForAll
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
6. Evidence shows that removing NHS charges & status checks for a specific health service is not enough to ensure people with insecure immigration status can access it. The Govt must go further so that everyone can get the Covid-19 vaccine safely! #VaccinesForAll
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html
7. In the interests of human rights, the health and safety of the population and all undocumented people, the Hostile Environment in the NHS must end. Access to vaccines is a huge step along this road – but the Government must take further action! #VaccinesForAll
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-immigration-amnesty-vaccine-b1799280.html

Please get involved.