Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) declining rates of childhood vaccination and (b) anti-vaccine misinformation.

The Department is working with Public Health England (PHE), NHS England and NHS Improvement and other stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive vaccine and immunisation strategy this autumn. The strategy will set out a clear vision for maintaining and developing England’s world-leading immunisation programme over the next 10 years and beyond.

Actions planned or underway to increase the uptake of childhood vaccination include:

- Strengthening the role of local immunisation coordinators – healthcare professionals that promote vaccine uptake, particularly in under-served groups, by supporting areas with low uptake and tailoring specific local interventions to under-vaccinated communities;

- Updating NHS.uk to ensure availability of National Health Service-approved, evidence-based and trusted advice on vaccines; and

- A review of general practitioner vaccinations and immunisation standards, funding, and procurement to incentivise improved immunisation coverage.