Suicide Prevention Grant Fund

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Monday 4th March 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

On 25 August 2023, my Department launched a £10 million suicide prevention grant fund to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in delivering suicide prevention activity in England.

I am pleased to today confirm the 79 successful organisations which have been awarded funding from the scheme. I would like to put on the record my thanks to all those organisations that applied, and for all the suicide prevention activity that is delivered on a daily basis, up and down the country.

The list of provisional awardees was published today at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-grant-fund-2023-to-2025 and can be found below.

The commitment is part of this Government’s plan to make health and care services faster, simpler and fairer.

I look forward to seeing the important and innovative activities that will follow as a result of this funding, in some of the most at-risk regions in England and to the groups who most need it. This is an important milestone in delivering the new “Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028” which we published in September 2023 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england-2023-to-2028/suicide-prevention-in-england-5-year-cross-sector-strategy

The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector plays a critical role in providing support to people experiencing suicidal thoughts or approaching a mental health crisis, as well as intervening early to prevent people reaching these points. Ultimately, their work saves countless lives and this grant will help ensure that they can keep doing that.

This grant builds on the record sums of money this Government have invested to transform and expand NHS mental health services as well as the successes of a previous grant fund of £5.4 million in 2021-22. That fund supported over 100 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, with overwhelmingly positive results, including helping to address demand after the covid-19 pandemic, improving access to services for people in need, and helping identify those in need, quicker.

Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Bill

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 1st March 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Lloyd Russell-Moyle) on bringing forward this Bill on such an important issue in an area where the Government are keen to make progress.

First and foremost, let me be clear that so-called conversion therapy practices are dangerous and abhorrent and any new legislation in this area must seek to identify those practices as a particular threat to the LGBT community and confirm the illegality of harmful processes intended to change someone’s sexuality. The Government remain committed to an approach that protects everyone from harmful conversion practices, including the transgender community.

LGBT people should be free to live their lives without threat or fear for simply being who they are. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are valued and important members of society and harmful conversion practices are inherently wrong and have no place in this country, first because they are abhorrent and, secondly, because they simply do not work. On this, we find strong and welcome agreement across the House and I am pleased that we have been able to have a balanced debate with differing views in all parts of the House. It is important that we lead by example in this place, because there is a wider debate across the country and we have to show that we can debate these sensitive issues in a responsible way.

However, the Government position is that unfortunately this Bill carries a lack of legislative clarity which risks unintended consequences, and the Government are well aware of the complexity of this issue from our own extensive work. I am sure the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown will not mind my saying that there have been honest meetings with Ministers and challenges have been discussed, and it is clear that he has wrestled with challenges in his Bill which has gone through various iterations. The Bill as it stands is a genuine attempt to overcome these challenges, but its clauses raise considerable concerns and I will come on to them in detail shortly.

The Government have rightly taken time to carefully consider our own position on these pitfalls and will be publishing a draft Bill on this topic for pre-legislative scrutiny—[Interruption.] I am coming on to that. We expect publication to be after the publication of the Cass review, which will be in the coming weeks.

[Elliot Colburn]

As we have heard throughout the debate, Dr Hilary Cass has said that there is no reason to delay a Bill on conversion therapy; she has said multiple times that there is no reason to await the Cass review to move forward. None of the promises made to bring forward a Bill ever mentioned the Cass review previously. It feels like there are more excuses about why we need to delay this. When was a decision made to now wait for the Cass review, because that is news to many of us?

[Maria Caulfield]

I welcome that valid intervention. I direct my hon. Friend to the Cass website, which says in frequently asked questions:

“The Cass Review was commissioned as an independent review of NHS gender identity services for children and young people. Its terms of reference do not include consideration of the proposed legislation to ban conversion therapy.”

However—[Interruption.] If I may finish, it also says:

“No LGBTQ+ group should be subjected to conversion therapy. However, through its work with clinical professionals, the Review recognises that the drafting of any legislation will be of paramount importance in building the confidence of clinicians working in this area.”

So the review has found evidence that may influence our conversion practices Bill, which is why we are waiting for the report.

[Dame Angela Eagle (Wallasey) (Lab)]

Does the Minister accept that if the Bill were to get a Second Reading, any of the Government’s worries about the current wording could be resolved in Committee? Those concerns are not a reason not to give the Bill a Second Reading today.

[Maria Caulfield]

The hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown has made that argument as well, but we feel it is important to get the details right at the start of the legislative process rather than towards the end.

[Sir William Cash]

Would the Minister be good enough to give some indication of what such a draft pre-legislative Bill would look like? The arguments presented from our side of the equation demonstrate manifestly that it would be impossible for the Bill to overcome its difficulties in relation to criminal law and the like in Committee.

[Maria Caulfield]

I take my hon. Friend’s point. That is why the Government propose to publish our Bill and take it through pre-legislative scrutiny in both Houses before it follows the normal processes in Committee. We will be able to shape the legislation in a way that deals with many of the concerns that have been raised today.

As the House is well aware, this policy area is complex and nuanced. It is clear from today’s discussion that colleagues are listening and thinking carefully about the challenges the Government have encountered in preparing legislation in this space, notably ensuring that legislation is clear, balanced and respects freedom of speech, belief and religion, and does not cause unintended consequences for parents, clinicians, teachers or religious groups.

[Sir Liam Fox (North Somerset) (Con)]

Both sides have talked about the harm caused by many of the practices we have discussed, yet there is nothing in the Bill stating that intent to harm should be a prelude to any prosecution. Does my hon. Friend accept that if that were to be put into the Bill, it would remove many of the fears about the net being cast so widely that those who unwittingly cause offence might face such measures?

[Maria Caulfield]

My right hon. Friend makes a valid point. Some of the fears are about the unintended consequences of this legislation, and I am sure that amendments to the Bill would allay some of those fears. As it stands, although the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown has made tremendous efforts to address some of the issues, the level of care and attention required to legislate responsibly means that we need to look at the subject from a wider perspective.

[Peter Gibson]

We have had so many promises from the Government about bringing this legislation forward—it has appeared in two Queen’s Speeches. We were promised the legislation in January 2023, but it is now 1 March 2024. If the Government want the House to debate their legislation, will the Minister publish it so that we can discuss it?

[Maria Caulfield]

My hon. Friend is right. I have not spoken from the Dispatch Box before about this particular subject, but my colleagues the Minister for Equalities and the Minister for Women and Equalities have been focused on trying to overcome some of the concerns raised today that could stop any legislation, whether it is this Bill or the Government’s Bill, getting through both Houses. Time has been taken to address those concerns so that we can come together to legislate against conversion practices.

[Dawn Butler]

For clarification, is the Minister implying that every time there is a new Minister we start again from day one? Is she able to give a timeframe for the Government Bill—by May, June or July?

[Maria Caulfield]

As a Government we speak together, but I am just expressing my frustration on behalf of colleagues. I acknowledge that this has taken a long time, and I want to explain why. I tried to indicate earlier that we are expecting the Cass review in the coming weeks, and we aim to publish the Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny very soon after that.

Let me come to the Government’s concerns about this Bill and address some of the issues raised. We have concerns about four areas: the proposed definition of conversion practices, the inclusion of the term “suppression”, the proposed parental exemption and the territorial extent of the provisions. I will take those in turn.

First, we are concerned that the definition of conversion practices in clause 1 is simply too broad. A conversion practice is outlined as a

“course of conduct or activity”.

Even with the provisos that an act must be repeated and underpinned by a predetermined outcome in order to be in scope, that remains a very broadly drawn offence that lacks legislative clarity. The hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown has produced explicit exemptions in clause 1(2) to clarify that certain actions are out of scope, but the Government are concerned that those exemptions are insufficient and there remains a risk that some reasonable behaviour would be caught.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle]

I do not want to delay the Minister, because we want to get on with this now. She will acknowledge that I twice presented these clauses to the Government. Twice the Government came to me and said, “We will get amendments to you within a week.” I agreed that I would accept any Government amendment. Twice the Government came back saying, “No, we don’t have any amendments yet for you because we can’t find anything that we’ve signed off.” I worry a bit about bad faith, and I hope that if we accepted the amendments that she is proposing, she would be supportive, rather than produce just another list of questions.

[Maria Caulfield]

I take on board the hon. Member’s point, but the final Bill was published only this week. I take on board his point about future amendments should the Bill get to Committee. I appreciate that he intends his Bill to be a framework into which exemptions can be built, but when creating a broad new criminal offence that could be altered in future by powers, we believe that robust protections and scrutiny must come at the beginning of the legislative process, not the end.

Secondly, the risk is further heightened by the inclusion of “suppression” within the scope of the offences under clause 1(2). For example, if a religious leader supports an individual who wants to manage their same-sex attraction in order to align with their individual religious belief, where the individual consensually seeks out religious counselling, this Bill would still criminalise that support. That is just one tiny example of what we mean.

Despite the hon. Gentleman’s best efforts to the contrary, the Bill risks creating a chilling effect on clinicians—we have heard some of those concerns today—by positioning healthcare regulation within the context of criminal law. The impact on healthcare professionals may well be the single biggest challenge within legislation in this area. That is part of the reason why we consider pre-legislative scrutiny from the breadth of medical experience available across Parliament in both Houses to be so critical. As I said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Elliot Colburn), that concern is cited by the independent Cass review, the final report of which is expected in the next few weeks.

Our third concern is about the Bill’s attempt to exempt parental behaviour in clause 1(2). The Government are clear that parents should be able to have exploratory and even challenging conversations with their children, and it would be absolutely wrong to criminalise them.

[Nick Fletcher]

I thank the Minister for the help she has given me recently with regard to the issues facing men and boys, which is a subject close to my heart. I am equally supportive of women and girls. Does she agree that this Bill—or any Bill that criminalises free speech—will have a huge effect on women and girls across this country? We will get to a point where parents will be unable to say to their sweet little girl who comes home from school, having seen the abhorrent material in relationships, sex and health education, “No, you’re not a boy; you’re a lovely little girl, and you’re going to grow up to be a lovely little girl.” Does she also agree that the Bill will put biological males in single-sex spaces, which again is abhorrent, and take away podium places from girls?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Order. Interventions should be short.

[Maria Caulfield]

The point I was making is that parents have a right and that we, when legislating in this area, must be careful to ensure that we do not criminalise legitimate conversations in the family setting. Sadly, we have seen cases—for example, those involving female genital mutilation—where a lack of parental responsibility has led to the abuse of children. We are concerned that, by not covering that in this Bill, there is potential for conversion practices, which could be abusive, to continue.

[Alicia Kearns]

I am slightly confused, because the Government are saying that this Bill protects parents too much, but those speaking against it are saying that it will criminalise parents. I am not sure where we will go, but I presume that Government lawyers know slightly more than those who are opposing the Bill from the Back Benches.

[Maria Caulfield]

That is the point I am making: this is a sensitive area, where there are arguments both for and against on all sides. We absolutely believe in parents’ legitimate right and freedom to bring up their children in any way they see fit, but we have to be careful about that tipping into abuse. We have seen that happen, for example with FGM.

Our final concern is about the territorial extent of the Bill. Clause 5 says that it will apply to the entire United Kingdom, which poses issues because, as the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown knows, justice is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Indeed, as many Members here today will be aware, the Scottish Government are currently consulting on their own legislative approach to banning conversion practices. The requirement for the Director of Public Prosecutions to approve any prosecution is at odds with the Bill’s territorial extent, which I would say wrongly covers Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Crown Prosecution Service operates in England and Wales only, because Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own criminal justice systems, which means that the requirement to have CPS approval would not apply there. A separate provision creates equivalent requirements for the Northern Ireland equivalent of the CPS, but there is no explicit provision for its Scottish counterpart. Those are the four main areas where we have issues with the Bill.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle]

First, the Minister has to recognise that the Bill will be brought into force in Scotland or Northern Ireland only if there is the consent of the legislators and Ministers in those two places. Secondly, the argument she has just given is legally incorrect, because in Scotland there is already a requirement for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to give authorisation for private prosecutions. That is why it is not needed in the law. I would have thought that Government lawyers had told her that in the briefing. It is disappointing that they do not seem to know the law.

--- Later in debate ---

[Maria Caulfield]

I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman feels that way, but we have to be clear about the territorial extent of the Bill. We have concerns about that, because the Bill should relate only to England and Wales, but it does not.

[Miriam Cates]

The Minister has made an important point about the problems with the requirement for DPP permission, but is there not an even more significant problem with that? Although it seems like a safeguard, in reality—looking at the CPS website—all that means is that a Crown prosecutor has to give permission. Any Crown prosecutor—even an activist Crown prosecutor—could agree to such a prosecution and thus create case law that criminalises parents in future.

[Maria Caulfield]

We have set out our four concerns, which include the territorial extent of the Bill.

I have set out why the Government will not support the Bill today. I want the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown to know that I am really grateful for the work he has done in this space, and I hope that we can continue to work together on this issue, particularly on the legislation. Today’s debate has further highlighted the need for careful consideration before legislation is passed, so that unintended consequences can be avoided. It has also demonstrated the importance of taking action that is balanced and measured in order to protect those at most risk of harm, but also to protect the freedoms and rights of everyone. That is the kind of balance that can be achieved only with bespoke legislation, and although we absolutely pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman, we will not support this Bill.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

International Women’s Day: Language in Politics

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Thursday 29th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Women (Maria Caulfield)]

I start by thanking my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Dame Maria Miller) for securing this important debate, and all hon. Members for their contributions. The use of language, particularly in politics, is such an important topic. Members have shared very personal experiences, including the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), my right hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton), the hon. Member for Newport West (Ruth Jones), and the hon. Member for Swansea East (Carolyn Harris), who has been criticised for her hair colouring. My criticism is that my hair looks like it was borrowed from my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant), so I share her frustration at that abuse.

Why does this abuse matter? My right hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Southampton North (Caroline Nokes) put it very eloquently: it stops women from speaking freely, not just women in this place but women in our communities. At the moment, we have very toxic debates around issues such as biological sex, with people losing their jobs and facing prosecution just for wanting to have an honest debate. I am pleased that Members on all sides of the House have said this afternoon that it is important to have a sophisticated level of debate on very sensitive issues, but also about the general level of abuse that women face up and down this country. As the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) said, what is classed as banter by some people is very much abuse for others.

The hon. Member for Brent Central (Dawn Butler) always campaigns very hard on the issue of how abuse of women is reported in the media. We have met to discuss this, and I am frustrated that progress has been slow. I can assure her that I have met ministerial colleagues, but also the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, and I will follow up after this debate. It is really important that when women are murdered in our communities, it is not reported as a crime of passion. It has to be reported as it is: it is murder and abuse. That language makes a difference to how those crimes are then treated.

It is true—this was the focus of what my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke set out—that the situation has an effect on our democratic accountability and who stands for election. We want more women, and more women from the real world, standing for election. However, the Fawcett Society found that 93% of women MPs said that online abuse or harassment has had a negative effect on how they act as Members of Parliament. It stops talented women coming forward for all parties, and we are losing good hon. Members. My hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch) is one example of a woman leaving this place. We heard earlier in this parliamentary term from Rosie Cooper that the reason she stood down early was the abuse and threats she received. We have lost good Members such as her, which is very sad for Parliament.

We are potentially in an election year, so it is as important as ever that our language is measured—in this place, and in our political parties. Every single political party can play a role, and nobody standing for election should suffer intimidation for holding or aspiring to hold elective office. We have introduced measures to try to make the experience fairer. Since 2022, anyone who intimidates a candidate, campaigner or elected representative can be barred from elective office for five years. It is great that we are passing legislation like that in this place, but it needs to be enforced, because abuse is too often seen as something that just goes with the job. No one—not my hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Mike Freer), nor my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood)—should have their office burned or people protesting outside their home simply for representing their constituents.

The debate reflects the wider debate in society about violence against women and girls. Sadly, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Jess Phillips), had to read out her list again this year, and one of the women she mentioned was my constituent Chloe Bashford, who was murdered in horrific circumstances in Newhaven. The hon. Member for Vauxhall (Florence Eshalomi) commented on two tragic deaths in her constituency of women who were also on that list. We have made significant progress, having published the tackling violence against women and girls strategy and the tackling domestic abuse plan, but that is not going fast enough. We all have a role to play, not just the Government; it is the role of all agencies, from the police to the courts, to absolutely make sure that femicide is taken seriously and dealt with when people come forward to give evidence and share their stories.

Our Domestic Abuse Act became law in 2021. That legislation is making a difference. Abusers are no longer allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts, and victims have better access to special measures in courtrooms. However, conviction rates are still too low. We also supported the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023, and the hon. Member for Bath brought in the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which addresses harassment in the workplace. That is for everyone, but we know that women are affected by that in more ways than most.

The final piece I want to address is the role of the media, given the upcoming election. It is really important that debates and votes in this place are reflected fairly. One example is the sewage vote, which was an attempt to end the use of sewage outflows in this country. We Conservative Members voted to dismantle our sewage system and have a long-term plan to end sewage discharges, but that was often portrayed in the media as voting against stopping any restrictions on sewage, which has resulted in multiple death threats and abuse for Conservative Members. When journalists ask why MPs are abused so much, I would say that journalists’ language, and the way that they portray what happens in this place, is as important.

[Caroline Nokes]

I will not get the Minister to say this, but I will say it for her. Can we also look at those who write Commons sketches? I am particularly thinking of Quentin Letts, who is a bit prone to going after people like me for being too pony club posh, and my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage) for having pink nail varnish. The list is endless, and it is never about what we say, but about what we look like.

[Maria Caulfield]

Absolutely. We need to remind each other that we all have a role to play—not just MPs but wider society. The fundamental issue is that if female MPs are being targeted and harassed, that will be reflected for women up and down this country; if it is seen as okay to target elected representatives for what they look like or what they say or how they vote, that will be reflected in wider society. There is a democratic system in this country: if people are not happy with who represents them, they go to the ballot box and they decide. What is not acceptable is for Members of Parliament, local councillors, police and crime commissioners, Members of the Senedd, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and others, even down to school governors, who are taking difficult decisions, which would have been taken long before if they were easy, to be intimidated in how they vote. If that is tolerated, violence against women and girls will be tolerated, perpetuated and accepted too.

I thank everyone for such a positive debate. We have got to speak up, we have got to stand up and we have got to take part and not let the haters win.

Children and Young People: Mental Health Support

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Tuesday 27th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I wish to inform the House that the Government have provided additional funding so that 24 early support hubs across England are able to help children and young people receive quicker mental health support.



The Government are taking the long-term decisions needed to make our healthcare system faster, simpler and fairer. Mental health support for our young people is a key part of that.



We announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million from HM Treasury’s shared outcomes fund would be available to support hubs and an evaluation to build the evidence base underpinning these services.



Following evaluation of excellent commercial tenders from hubs across the country, I am very pleased to be able to let you know that the Government are now providing an additional £3 million, meaning a total of 24 hubs will receive a share of almost £8 million in 2024-25. This is more than double our original target of funding 10 hubs, and organisations across the length of England—from Gateshead to Truro—will now benefit.



This investment in frontline services means that thousands of children and young people will receive earlier, open-access mental health interventions in local communities.



Crucially, alongside boosting 24 hubs, the funding will also enable us to evaluate the impact of the services and inform any potential expansion of the model in the future. The evaluation aims to report its findings by summer 2025.



As this new investment shows, we want to intervene earlier to prevent children and young people from developing severe or enduring mental health conditions. That is why we are also continuing at pace with the roll-out of mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are currently around 400 mental health support teams in place across England, covering over 3 million children or around 35% of pupils in schools and colleges, and we are extending coverage to at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025.



I know that we still have a long way to go to ensure that all young people struggling with their mental health get the support they need at the right time, but today’s new investment is a positive step to support children and young people’s mental health, and one that should be celebrated.

Baby Loss Certificates

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Thursday 22nd February 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I wish to inform the House that the new baby loss certificate service has launched today.

As the House will be aware, the Government published the independent “Pregnancy Loss Review” in July 2023, alongside our response. The review examined the impact on families of not being able to formally register a baby or pregnancy loss before 24 weeks’ gestation.

In an interim report provided to me in 2022, the review recommended that the Government introduce a voluntary scheme to enable parents who have experienced a pre-24 weeks baby or pregnancy loss to record and receive a certificate to provide recognition of their loss. The recording and issuing of a certificate to bereaved parents who want one will provide comfort and support by validating their loss. I subsequently committed to introduce a certificate of baby loss in the women’s health strategy for England—July 2022.

Either parent is entitled to a certificate of baby loss if they have experienced a loss under 24 weeks’ gestation, are at least 16 years of age, and at least one parent was living in England at the time of the loss.

I am pleased that we are able to offer this on a retrospective basis to those who have already experienced a baby loss. Initially, this will be available to those who have experienced a loss since 1 September 2018. This will be continually assessed, and we will extend eligibility as soon as we can.

Delivering this important service highlights our continued commitment to delivering on the women’s health strategy and is an important step forward in supporting parents to provide recognition of a life lost.

[HCWS277]

JCVI Updated Advice on Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Wednesday 7th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

His Majesty’s Government (HMG) led the world in vaccinating our population against covid-19. We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI has published further advice on the covid-19 vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that a covid-19 vaccine should be offered in spring 2024 to those at greatest risk of serious disease, who are therefore most likely to benefit from vaccination. Those eligible are:

adults aged 75 years and over;

residents in a care home for older adults; and

individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in tables 3 or 4

in chapter 14a of the UK Health Security Agency’s Green Book).

Throughout the pandemic, older people have been amongst those most likely to experience severe disease if infected by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes covid-19). Existing data on hospital admissions in the UK are consistent with the clinical risk continuing to be higher in those aged 75 years and above.

The JCVI advice is that this further spring dose should be offered around six months after the last vaccine dose, and after a minimum gap of three months.

HMG has accepted this advice and I am informed that all four parts of the UK intend to follow the JCVI’s advice.

The JCVI has also provided advice on which vaccine products should be used as part of the spring 2024 covid-19 programme. The committee has advised that for spring 2024, the latest covid-19 XBB-variant vaccines are considered preferable; and mRNA Omicron XBB.1.5 covid-19 variant vaccines which have been pre-procured as part of the UK’s pandemic emergency response are considered the most cost-effective vaccines for use under existing circumstances.

Considerations for future covid-19 vaccination programmes

The JCVI will continue to review the optimal timing and frequency of covid-19 vaccination beyond spring 2024. The ongoing increase in population immunity permits the development of a more targeted programme aimed at those at higher risk of developing serious covid-19 disease. As the UK moves towards routine procurement and delivery of covid-19 vaccination, cost-effectiveness will become a major determining factor in future advice pertaining to the covid-19 vaccination programme. The JCVI advice indicates that, based on the most recent cost-effectiveness assessment, any autumn 2024 campaign may be smaller than previous autumn covid-19 campaigns. The JCVI will give further advice on this in due course.

Notification of liabilities

I am now updating the House on the liabilities HMG has taken on in relation to further vaccine deployment via this statement, and accompanying departmental minutes laid before Parliament containing a description of the liability undertaken. The agreement to provide indemnity with deployment of further doses increases the contingent liability of the covid-19 vaccination programme. HMG is already looking to move to vaccine market standard indemnity provisions for the procurement of future covid-19 vaccines.

I will update the House in a similar manner as appropriate, as and when any future decisions impact the contingent liability of the covid-19 vaccination programme.

[HCWS251]

Draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Coronavirus and Influenza) (England and Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2024

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Tuesday 30th January 2024 General Committees

[The Chair]

I am sure the Chairman of Ways and Means would always want to acknowledge that sort of event, so happy birthday to the Government Whip. I call the Minister to move the motion.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Coronavirus and Influenza) (England and Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2024.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Maria. I also want to pass on my best wishes to my hon. Friend the Member for Beaconsfield; it is always best to keep in with the Government Whip.

In autumn 2020, as part of the response to the covid pandemic, a number of temporary amendments were made to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to support the deployment of covid-19 and flu vaccinations following public consultation. This instrument looks to amend the temporary provisions in those regulations—regulations 3A, 19 and 247A—in order to maintain them and support the ongoing delivery of covid-19 and influenza vaccination.

Regulation 3A enables trained healthcare professionals or staff under the supervision of healthcare professionals to conduct the final stage of assembly, preparation and labelling of covid-19 vaccines without requiring additional marketing authorisations or manufacturer’s licences, provided that vaccines are supplied under NHS arrangements or by suppliers of medical services to His Majesty’s armed forces. Regulation 3A allows for the reformulation and reassembly of authorised covid-19 vaccines without the need for additional marketing authorisations.

Regulation 19 has enabled covid-19 and flu vaccines to be moved safely between premises at the end of the supply chain by providers operating under NHS arrangements or suppliers of medical services to His Majesty’s armed forces without the need for a wholesale dealer’s licence. Regulation 247A has provided a mechanism to expand the workforce that is legally and safely able to administer a covid-19 or flu vaccine without the input of a prescriber, using an approved protocol. Regulations 3A and 19 have sunset provisions and will cease to have effect on 1 April 2024 unless extended today. Regulation 247A is only permitted for use during a pandemic, so we want to amend it to be valid outside a pandemic for a temporary period.

The regulations continue to play a vital role in the covid-19 and flu vaccination programmes and have helped us to roll out both vaccines this autumn and winter. We are committed to protecting those who are most vulnerable, guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Although for most people covid-19 is no longer a serious risk, for some it remains one and vaccines are still the first line of defence for those people. In our latest roll-out, more than 11.8 million covid vaccines have been administered by NHS England since national bookings opened on 11 September last year, and more than 17.9 million flu vaccinations were administered in England during the latest autumn campaign. That includes more than 4.5 million people who received their flu and covid-19 vaccines at the same appointment. The regulations we wish to extend today play a huge part in making that happen.

The Government have engaged a broad range of stakeholders to determine whether to retain the provisions in the 2012 regulations beyond their current period, which ends in April. That initial engagement led the Government to propose an extension, as key stakeholders, including NHS England, said that without these regulations the covid-19 and flu vaccination services would be negatively impacted. Following that engagement, the Government ran a public consultation from 7 August to 18 September 2023 on proposals to temporarily extend the regulations until 1 April 2026 while a permanent solution is developed.

In regulation 247A, condition A, which requires there to be a pandemic for it to be used, would be removed. We had 220 responses, and there was a high level of support for the change.

Eighty nine per cent of respondents agreed that regulation 3A should be extended. It is important to note that covid-19 vaccinations are not available as pre-filled syringes, so a lot of work is done when a covid vaccination clinic is running. The regulations will make that as efficient as possible. The consultation found that the flexibilities of the arrangements for safe assembly and preparation at the pace and scale required mean that our vaccination programmes are as efficient as they can be.

Again, there was a high level of support for regulation 19, with 91% agreeing that it should be extended. There was a similar level of support for the change to regulation 247A, with 82% agreeing with the proposal to remove condition A so that the regulation can be used outside a pandemic.

The regulations have played an important role in reducing workforce pressures, so we are looking at how that can be made permanent. Work is being done to see how we can use our learning from the regulations and the tools they offer to reduce workforce pressures in the future and increase our capacity to deliver hundreds of millions of covid-19 and flu vaccinations. The regulations have also released qualified healthcare professionals to deliver other care across the system.

There are a range of benefits to extending the regulations. The Government propose to temporarily extend the provisions to 1 April 2026 and, in the case of regulation 247A, to remove the requirement that there should be a pandemic or imminent pandemic when the medicine is supplied while a more permanent solution is developed. Extending the provisions will allow the Government to work with system partners to undertake a fuller consideration of longer-term mechanisms that could be deployed to better support the delivery and administration of covid-19 and flu vaccines.

In the short term, however, given the high level of support expressed in the consultation and at a time when covid-19 and flu continue to be prevalent, there is an ongoing need to support the continued safe and effective supply, distribution and administration of covid-19 and flu vaccines by maintaining the provisions to April 2026. I commend the regulations to the Committee.

--- Later in debate ---

[Maria Caulfield]

I am pleased that we have cross-party support for the regulations. They are important in ensuring that we can deliver an efficient vaccination roll-out, particularly with a potential spring roll-out coming early this year.

In answer to the questions from the hon. Member for Bury South, yes, we are working to look at a more long-term solution. We are engaging with key stakeholders such as NHS England, and proposals will be made. There will need to be a consultation, and we will set out the date of that so that everyone can engage with it. It is one thing to put temporary measures in place, but it is another thing to put in long-term, sustainable measures, so it is important that all stakeholders are consulted, particularly those in primary care.

The regulations today extend only to Great Britain. Northern Ireland is not included because health is a devolved matter and there is not a sitting Assembly, but work is going on with Northern Ireland officials and there was positive news today of the potential of the Assembly restarting. We want to make sure that Northern Ireland will be covered by the provisions once there is an Assembly.

[Christian Wakeford]

On that point, it was helpful to have the news today about the Northern Ireland Executive. If, for any reason, they take a long period for this—they have two years to catch up on—will there be a further SI to implement these provisions in Northern Ireland?

[Maria Caulfield]

Ideally, we would not want to do that, because it is for Northern Ireland to determine its own health decisions. However, I can say that Department officials have been sharing draft materials with Northern Ireland officials so, once the Assembly is up and running, that could potentially happen fairly quickly.

On the point that the hon. Member for Bury South made about vaccine hesitancy, it is absolutely true that we are seeing vaccine and immunisation hesitancy across the country. It is very unhelpful that some of these misleading claims are being made, but, when we engage with community leaders, faith leaders and primary care teams that know their communities, we are able to engage.

We had a very successful covid-19 vaccine roll-out, getting to communities that are usually under-represented in vaccination programmes. During covid, that was thanks to the work of the Equality Hub and teams such as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. We are now using them again, particularly in London and the west midlands, for the measles immunisation programme, and we should be able to update colleagues about progress on that fairly swiftly.

Although it is not an issue with covid-19 and flu vaccines, there is concern among the Muslim and Jewish communities, and among Seventh-day Adventists and Rastafarians, about the use of pork in some of the measles vaccines. I would just reiterate that there are non-pork-based measles vaccines available, so that should reassure communities on the alternatives. However, there is work to be done in providing reliable information, getting the confidence of communities and making that vaccine as accessible as possible. That is why we are also working with our school teams to ensure that when young children need immunisation, it is as accessible as possible.

The hon. Member touched on the availability of vaccines. We follow JCVI advice and we expect to publish the JCVI advice for the spring roll-out fairly shortly. For those not covered by NHS vaccine programmes—we did not do the over-50s this year—we are looking at the options of a private market for covid-19, as is currently the case for flu. We are having discussions with both suppliers and pharmacies to see what is possible. Again, we will support any moves towards that as much as we can.

The hon. Member’s final point, I think, was about ensuring that we can cover as many people as possible with the vaccines. It is down to the JCVI advice. We almost always follow its advice, and it looks at a range of risk factors. That will also change over time; we may move to an annual covid vaccine at some point, compared with the spring and autumn roll-outs, but that will all be guided by the JCVI advice. Obviously, if a variant of concern emerges, that will change things.

The flexibility that these regulations provide really makes a difference, and we have had a positive reception from NHS England—from primary care—about the difference that it has made to the skills mix and career progression of many who administered the vaccines, as the hon. Member pointed out. It has also been a real opportunity to develop the workforce. I hope that that answers hon. Members’ questions. I thank them for their cross-party support.

Question put and agreed to.

Measles

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Tuesday 30th January 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

Following my written statement of 22 January 2024, I wish to provide a further update to the House on the actions that the Government and health system are taking in response to an increase in measles cases in England, particularly in the west midlands.

The current measles outbreak

Between 1 October 2023 and 23 January 2024 there have been 347 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England, with 127 of these cases confirmed in January 2024. From 30 January, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish national laboratory confirmed measles case numbers on www.gov.uk weekly, rather than on the previous monthly cycle. This will provide more frequent and up-to-date information to support preparedness and response activity while measles cases remain raised.

Actions under way to protect the public

Measles is a vaccine preventable disease, with long-lasting immunity provided through the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. To support increasing the uptake of the MMR vaccine, NHS England has rapidly implemented a catch-up campaign for missed MMR vaccines as part of a major drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell as measles continues to rise in parts of the country. From 6 February, parents and carers of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged six to 11 will receive a first reminder letter, text or email inviting them to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine. From 12 March, second reminders will begin to be sent.

This national campaign supplements existing measures under way to work with specific communities to boost uptake in priority areas, for example, by offering MMR pop-ups and whole-school vaccination campaigns. Extensive local engagement and communications have also been undertaken with community and faith leaders to encourage groups less likely to get their jab to come forward.

Additionally, in London and the west midlands, the first reminder invitation letters, texts or emails will be sent in February to the parents and carers of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged 11 to 16 and, following that, to young people aged 16 to 25 to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations. This will be followed by a second reminder to these age groups in March. Reminders will also be accessible for those over 16 who utilise the NHS app.

In the west midlands, strategic partnership groups are in place in three of six NHSE integrated care board areas to oversee planning, delivery and response across the health system. The other three integrated care boards also work on a multi-agency basis to assess preparedness and response activities.

UKHSA West Midlands and regional Department for Education colleagues hosted a webinar for education and early years settings last week with over 650 attendees. This focused on describing the signs and symptoms of measles, what schools need to know and how they can access more support. In addition, UKHSA West Midlands and NHS Midlands hosted a webinar for clinicians and frontline staff in maternity services with over 280 attendees, and significant work across the region to promote MMR vaccination continues through a range of mechanisms, including social media and community engagement at a local level.

I will also be chairing a regular measles ministerial co-ordination board, bringing together local and national actors to bring the current outbreak under control.

Work also continues at pace across England’s regions, particularly in London, to prepare for the possibility of further cases and outbreaks, learning from the west midlands experience. This preparation includes a multi-agency planning exercise led by UKHSA that was focused on a potential outbreak in London and exercising the response to that.

Correction to written statement UIN HCWS200

I would like to amend the written statement I gave the House on 22 January 2024 and an answer I gave to the House on the same day in response to an urgent question from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Preet Kaur Gill).

In the written statement and at the urgent question, I stated that an existing MMR vaccination campaign by NHS England had resulted in a 10% increase in vaccine uptake compared to the previous year. I would like to clarify that this 10% increase is not an overall figure but rather refers to the proportion of children aged one to five who came forward for their MMR jab as a result of having been identified as eligible for and or missing one or both doses and contacted proactively by the NHS between 22 September and 23 February last year to get the jab. The figure I quoted was from a published NHS England press release, which was corrected on 23 January 2024.

[HCWS224]

Children’s Mental Health Week 2024

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Tuesday 30th January 2024 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Tooting (Dr Allin-Khan) for securing this debate ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week. I thank all hon. and right hon. Members for their thoughtful contributions, and I will try to answer as many points as I can in the time that I have.

It is absolutely clear that we face a challenge in ensuring timely support is available for children and young people’s mental health. Two factors are proving the greatest challenges. The first, as was pointed out by a number of speakers today, is the historic underinvestment in mental health services in this country. No other Government before us had tackled this, trying to introduce a parity in esteem between mental and physical health. The Government are investing £2.3 billion extra a year—I know the hon. Member for Tooting is tired of this figure —in mental health services. That is making a difference.

I just want to correct one figure that the hon. Member raised, about only 8% of funding going to children and young people’s mental health services. Actually, 1.63 million people were in contact with mental health services in November last year, and 31% of those were children aged between nought and 18. That shows that children are making up a large proportion of those benefiting from the funding. The extra £2.3 billion a year is going into projects such as our capital investment programme to eradicate mental health dormitories, and is being invested in our crisis centres, our crisis cafés, and 27,000 additional staff. We are seeing evidence that that is making a difference already. Our crisis cafés are associated with an 8% lower admission rate and our crisis telephone services with a 12% lower admission rate, and detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 are 15% lower.

Our second challenge is the sheer scale of demand for services in the past few years. Even though we are investing more than ever before in children and young people’s mental health services, as the hon. Member for Tooting pointed out, one in five children now suffers with a mental health problem, compared with one in nine in 2017. There were 743,000 new referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in 2022, up 41% from just the year before. We recognise that we have to put in more funding. We are doing that, but it is difficult to meet the sheer demand for the support that children and young people need.

This is true across all four nations of the United Kingdom and not just here in England, where the Government are responsible for health. In Cardiff, for example, where Labour runs the health service, 83% of CAMHS are not on target for seeing children and young people. The Welsh Labour Government target of 80% of children and young people being assessed within 28 days had not been met for the five years up to 2021, the dates covered by the latest figures. I was quite surprised by the contribution from the SNP spokesperson, the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Amy Callaghan), as Scotland have been missing their national targets. Under some health boards, children and young people have been waiting for more than 1,000 days for services. In Northern Ireland, 60% of those targets have not been met, either. All four nations of the United Kingdom are facing exactly the same pressures.

In England, however, we have a plan, and I can assure hon. Members that it is far from just warm words. While our spending on children and young people’s mental health services has increased from £841 million in 2020 to just over £1 billion in 2022-23, it is not just about how much we spend, but about how we spend it. An additional 345,000 children and young people are getting the mental health support they need. As of August last year, 703,000 children and young people aged under 18 were being supported through NHS-funded mental health services. That is a 13.1% increase on the year before.

[Amy Callaghan]

I recognise what the Minister is saying. Things are not perfect, but we in Scotland are investing more in the NHS and mental health services than they are in England. We recognise the problem, but we are doing something about it. That is more than can be said for down here.

[Maria Caulfield]

Let me point out what we are doing with our funding. We have introduced two waiting time standards for children and young people. The first is for 95% of children up to 19 with an eating disorder to receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and four weeks for more routine cases. I can showcase for the hon. Member for Tooting figures from her local integrated care board for eating disorders: 82% of children and young people under 19 are seen within four weeks. That is not 95%, so we are not where we want to be, but a significant proportion are being seen according to our new target. Our extra funding to children and young people’s services for eating disorders will rise to £54 million in the coming financial year, creating more capacity, but we absolutely acknowledge that there is more to do.

The second waiting time standard we have introduced is for 50% of patients of all ages, including children and young people, experiencing a first episode of psychosis to receive treatment within two weeks of being referred. That target is being met across the country.

Our plan for children and young people is cross-Government, because this is not just a health and social care problem. Mental health is everyone’s business. That is why we are working with the Department for Education to implement proposals from the children and young people’s mental health Green Paper.

[Dr Allin-Khan]

If the Government are interested in implementing cross-party proposals, why on earth have they scrapped the Mental Health Bill?

[Maria Caulfield]

I will touch on what we are doing and come back to the hon. Lady on that point.

Last week we met the Education Secretary and the chief executive of the NHS to discuss how we can better support school attendance, because we know that children with mental health problems are the most likely not to attend school. I do not think there was a single proposal from any of the Labour MPs, apart from on mental health support teams in schools, which we are already rolling out. We have rolled out 400 mental health support teams, covering 3.4 million pupils in England—something that Labour has not started to do in Wales, where it runs the health service. Our original ambition was to cover 25% of pupils, but we have done that a year earlier than expected; we are now on track in March this year to cover just under 50% of pupils with a mental health support team. We will also have 13,800 schools and colleges with a trained senior mental health lead, including seven in 10 state-funded schools in England.

We are already doing what Labour says it plans to do if it ever gets into government, and our evidence shows that that is making a difference across the country. In addition, in October we announced £4.92 million of new funding to develop new mental health and wellbeing support hubs for young people across all of England. We will be announcing in the next few weeks the successful hubs and where they will be based. That clearly shows that the work we are doing is on track and amounts to far more than just the warm words we have been accused of.

[Dr Allin-Khan]

Let me point out two things. First, 12,140 children are on waiting lists at my ICB, an increase of 18.15% on last year. Secondly, the Minister spoke about 1.63 million people accessing mental health services and said that 38% of them were children, but that is actually up on the 25% that I cited. She used that figure in her argument about the amount of money that has been spent on children’s mental health services. She was incorrect, and all she did was highlight that the situation is getting worse, rather than arguing against my point that only 8% is being spent on children. She did not address that point.

[Maria Caulfield]

The hon. Lady is making my argument for me. We are seeing a significant increase in demand, and that is why we are spending more on rolling out these services. She did not welcome the progress we are making on mental health support teams across our schools, or the fact that we are set to announce new mental health support hubs across England.

Last year we published our new suicide prevention strategy; my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Dr Hudson) talked about 3 Dads Walking, who I was pleased to meet. We are also rolling out mental health and wellbeing support in our school curriculum, teaching young people what good mental health looks like and about support mechanisms. Our strategy sets out over 100 actions to help reduce suicide and to ensure that young people in particular, who are identified as a high-risk group in the strategy, are getting the support they need. That includes making mental health and wellbeing part of the school curriculum.

[Jim Shannon]

Has the Minister had the opportunity to look at how to ensure that young people have some church activity and pastoral care, which is very important?

[Maria Caulfield]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Part of that can be done in our schools. With the increase in mental health support teams, which will now cover 4.2 million pupils, there will be different levels of support, from pastoral support right through to acute help for those with more acute mental health needs. It is really important that we ensure that those teams are rolled out as we are planning. Our hubs in local areas will also be able to provide more bespoke services for the communities they represent, which is crucial. I would like to thank Dr Alex George, the Government’s youth mental health ambassador, who has been leading much of this work, particularly on the suicide prevention strategy and making children and young people a priority group.

I reiterate my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the debate. The Government have a plan to improve mental health services for children and young people by investing in services, with capital projects to improve infrastructure in order to provide the care that is needed, from crisis centres right through to the 27,000 extra mental health workers; rolling out mental health support teams in schools and our new children and young people’s mental health hubs, which will be announced shortly; and dealing with the sheer tsunami of demand, whether it is due to the fallout of covid or the fact that people are coming forward because we are encouraging them to talk about their mental health and ask for support.

Our plan is making a difference. I am hopeful that, with the investment we are putting in to tackle the lack of investment for decades under many Governments, we are providing the building blocks to improve the mental health of our young people in this country.

[Dr Allin-Khan]

I thank all Members, including the Minister and my hon. Friend the shadow Minister, for their contributions. Disappointingly, I have not heard anything about the scrapping of the Mental Health Bill, which the Minister conveniently avoided.

[Maria Caulfield]

Will the hon. Lady give way?

[Dr Allin-Khan]

No, I will continue. The Minister had ample opportunity to respond to a direct intervention, and she chose not to. That Bill was a great piece of cross-party work that would have improved the lives and outcomes of so many people in our country, particularly minority groups. The Minister did not address the fact that only 8% of funding is spent on children’s mental health services, but she highlighted that the need is greater than ever.

The £2.3 billion was promised before covid. We have heard multiple arguments today that the situation has got worse post covid. There has been no money to make up for the increased need related to covid, and no assessment of how we are going to deal with the fact that adverse childhood experiences and poverty are contributing so greatly to our nation’s mental ill health.

The Minister talked about the fact that there are many new referrals. There are many new referrals, but she did not mention that in so many parts of this country, and even in parts of this city, it is a postcode lottery. In some places, up to 50% of referrals are closed before the person has even been seen. While I welcome the fact that efforts are being made—it would be churlish of me to suggest that they are not—the fact remains that they are not good enough, they do not reach far enough and they are not ambitious enough. Even on the £2.3 billion, I know for a fact that the head of mental health services in the NHS asked for more, and that was before covid.

I thank everyone for being here and for their contributions. Although we are all on the same page in the sense that this is an issue we all care about, regardless of how we vote, where we live or what our socioeconomic background is, this Government still lack ambition for children in this country and for their mental health. Let me again, on the record, thank all the organisations that work so tirelessly in this space.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House has considered Children’s Mental Health Week 2024.

Measles

Maria Caulfield Excerpts

Monday 22nd January 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

I wish to update the House on an increase in measles cases across England and the actions that the Government and health system are taking to control the disease’s spread.

The current measles outbreak

Following an increase in measles cases across England, the UK Health Security Agency raised its incident response level to a national standard incident on 8 January 2024. There are three categories of incident: routine, standard and enhanced.

In 2023, there was an increase in confirmed measles cases, on which the UKHSA publishes statistics monthly. As of 18 January 2024, there have been 216 confirmed cases in the west midlands since 1 October 2023. NHS figures show that more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 are unprotected and at risk of catching this serious and completely preventable disease. In response to this and the slow decline in measles, mumps and rubella vaccine uptake, the NHS carried out catch-up efforts in 2023, contacting parents and carers of unvaccinated children aged five and younger. This resulted in a 10% increase in MMR vaccine uptake compared with the previous year.

Measles is a highly infectious illness that can easily be spread between unvaccinated people. Complications from measles can be potentially life changing and include blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain, or encephalitis.

Analysis shows that one infected child in a classroom can infect up to nine other unvaccinated children, making it one of the most infectious diseases worldwide, and more infectious than covid-19. One in five children with measles will need to be admitted to a hospital for treatment—which could put additional pressure on the NHS.

Measles is not just a childhood disease and can be serious at any age. If caught during pregnancy, it can be very serious, causing stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight.

Actions under way to protect the public

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, with long-lasting immunity provided through the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Ninety-five per cent of the population must be vaccinated to provide sufficient population immunity. In some parts of the country, vaccination levels are below this threshold, allowing measles to spread rapidly through communities.

Data shows that the MMR vaccine is safe and very effective. After two doses:

around 99% of people will be protected against measles and rubella

around 88% of people will be protected against mumps

Two doses of the safe and effective MMR vaccine are needed for maximum life-long protection, with the first dose given around the child’s first birthday and the second dose given at around three years and four months old. However, anyone can catch up at any age on any missed doses. It is never too late to protect yourself, and everyone eligible for the MMR vaccination who has not yet taken up the offer should get vaccinated.

To support increasing the uptake of the MMR vaccine, NHS England announced on Friday 19 January a catch-up campaign from February for missed MMR vaccines, as part of a major new drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell as measles continues to rise across the country. The campaign:

Will be targeted at parents and carers of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children aged six to 11, encouraging them to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine.

Builds on the work already done to contact parents of children aged nought to five for vaccination—a campaign which saw a 10% increase in the number of MMR vaccinations compared with the previous year, with two million texts, emails and letters sent to parents between September 2022 and February 2023.

Will target places with low uptake of the vaccine. Initial priority areas are London and the west midlands, with the NHS acting quickly to contact almost 1 million more people, including parents and carers of those aged six to 18, and young people aged 18 to 25, to invite them to catch up on their missed MMR vaccinations.

People who are unvaccinated can get catch-up jabs at MMR pop-ups in schools and other convenient places, including GP surgeries, asylum hotels and libraries.

GPs, teachers, and trusted community leaders are encouraging groups less likely to get their jab to come forward. NHS England, UKHSA and local health partners are also working together to deliver immunisation programmes tailored to the needs of under-vaccinated communities. For example, in the west midlands, MMR pop-up clinics are running in outbreak settings, and whole-school vaccination campaigns will be run in areas with the highest number of at-risk individuals. GP practices are also being supported to improve MMR uptake through convenient, tailored appointments and proactive conversations with concerned parents.

Longer-term actions

The recently published NHS vaccine strategy builds on the success of the NHS’s world-leading covid-19 vaccine programme, when local teams found innovative ways to reach people during the pandemic. It reflects views sought from a wide range of stakeholders and delivery partners, including the public, those who work in our health services, community and charity leaders, and colleagues in local government. This strategy will maximise convenience, with more vaccination services at locations that the public can easily access, such as libraries, leisure centres, social clubs or sports grounds, family hubs, support services and places of worship, or at local cultural and community events; with flexible opening hours; and with booking options.

Parents and carers can find out more about the different vaccines their child should have and when by visiting www.nhs.uk and searching for “NHS vaccinations and when to have them”.

It is vitally important that everyone takes up the vaccinations they are entitled to. The MMR vaccine is highly effective, safe and the best way to prevent the spread of measles and to protect children from becoming seriously unwell from the disease.

[HCWS200]