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 help increase the uptake rate of the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.

The maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme launched on 1 September 2024, and is being delivered by general practices and commissioned maternity services. NHS England has been working with systems, stakeholders, and partners to increase awareness and uptake of the RSV vaccine amongst pregnant women.

A system letter setting out the role of providers in advising pregnant women of their eligibility for vaccination was sent from the Chief Midwifery Officer for England, the National Clinical Director for Maternity, and the Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccination and Screening in August 2024.

NHS England has held webinars for health professionals on vaccination in pregnancy and with the midwifery and nursing teams delivering the RSV vaccine, to provide information on eligibility, outreach, and how to administer the vaccine before the programme started. Resources and information have been shared with maternity leads since the programme began, to increase awareness of the vaccine and ensure more women are booking their vaccination for when they become eligible at 28 weeks. Commissioned maternity services are also encouraged to have vaccination discussions with pregnant women early in pregnancy.

A range of communication materials have been produced by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency, who are working with stakeholders, including parenting clubs, to disseminate information on vaccination in pregnancy through their channels.

RSV vaccination event data from all commissioned providers is made available to NHS England regional commissioning teams and their partner integrated care boards in a timely way. NHS operational vaccination data is being monitored closely at a local and national level, and is being used to drive further development of the programme.