Dr. Colm Henry:

Vaccination programmes already exist in residential care facilities. I am a geriatrician by profession and I am aware that the first port of call is to get informed consent directly from individuals, unless they lack the capacity to give it. In that case, we work through networks of family members or health professionals to secure informed consent through other means, for example, from a direct relative. In the first instance, we always seek to get consent from the individual concerned if it is possible to do so by any means. Even in the presence of cognitive impairment, we give information in such a way that the benefits and risks of the vaccine can be easily understood.