Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the NHS vaccination strategy has delivered on its commitment to provide a more joined-up prevention and vaccination offer for local populations.

The NHS Vaccination Strategy aims to increase uptake across the population, particularly in underserved groups, through more accessible, locally delivered services supported by national consistency in standards and digital systems. It promotes convenient access through primary care and community settings, alongside a more integrated approach where multiple vaccinations and wider health interventions can be offered together. Specific actions already delivered under the NHS Vaccination Strategy to improve the vaccination offer include the following:

• every integrated care board now having a board-level vaccination lead with structured plans to boost uptake in their area;
• introducing a new digital service to improve data capture, flow, and reporting of vaccination data and the visibility of vaccination history for health professionals in maternity settings;
• piloting a new digital service, MyVaccines, that will enable individuals to review vaccination record and book appointments on the NHS App;
• dedicated funding in place to support targeted outreach to underserved communities, supported by sharing of learning and good practice on effective engagement and trust building interventions;
• community pharmacies delivering flu vaccinations to two and three-year-olds as a pilot in the 2025/26 season;
• making respiratory syncytial virus vaccines for all eligible cohorts and pertussis vaccine for pregnant women available via selected community pharmacies in underserved areas;
• requiring general practices to focus on maternal pertussis vaccinations in 2024/25 and on human papillomavirus vaccinations in 2025/26 through their annual vaccination campaign;
• from 2025/26, the item of service fee for delivery of routine childhood vaccinations was increased for general practices to £12.06;
• in line with the strategy and the Government’s commitment a pilot programme has also been rolled out to explore delivery of childhood vaccinations by health visiting teams, expanding the offer available to families; and
• the introduction of a National Health Service owned end to end digital service for school age immunisation services (SAIS). In addition, Manage a vaccination in schools is a digital tool being rolled out on a phased basis to help SAIS teams vaccinate more children, more easily.

These measures demonstrate clear progress towards a more joined-up prevention and vaccination offer for local populations, particularly through local commissioning, broader delivery models, and digital capability. As many of these initiatives remain in development, the full extent of their impact is still emerging.

Building on this, the 10-Year Health Plan reinforces the shift towards prevention and digital access, including expanding the role of community pharmacies, introducing new delivery models for underserved groups, and improving access through the NHS App.