Pressure is mounting on the government to speed up negotiations over a free shingles vaccine for immunocompromised patients. People with weakened immune systems run a much higher risk of severe shingles, which can involve a painful rash and nerve pain that lingers for months. Campaigners argue that leaving this group to wait while talks drag on is hard to justify when an effective vaccine already exists. The request is aimed squarely at the health department, which has been in discussions about how a free programme would be paid for. Patients in the affected group currently depend on private arrangements, and the cost of the vaccine puts it out of reach for many. A faster settlement would set out who qualifies and how the rollout would be funded. Until then, the people most exposed to the illness are the ones with the least access to protection.