Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to (a) review take up levels of vaccinations and (b) raise awareness of the potential benefits of vaccinations (i) in childhood and (ii) for tackling (A) flu and (B) covid-19.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors and reviews vaccination coverage, including the assessment of barriers that reduce the uptake of vaccination, for all routine immunisation programmes in England.

To raise awareness of vaccination benefits, the Government provides information in multiple languages and accessible formats, runs e-learning programmes, provides training for healthcare professionals, and carries out national marketing campaigns.

Working with the Department and NHS England, the UKHSA runs national marketing campaigns to encourage greater uptake of childhood immunisations. The next campaign will start at the end of August 2024, and will run for six weeks.

During autumn and winter, a national communication campaign for winter vaccines, including flu and COVID-19, will target those in eligible cohorts, to ensure that they are aware of the benefit of having their vaccines.