Vaccination: Take-up

(asked on 22nd February 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reverse the decline in uptake of immunisations to prevent infectious diseases from reoccurring in future winter seasons.


Answered by
Lord Markham Portrait
Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 6th March 2023

Vaccination is the best defence against severe illness, with inflections including flu and COVID-19 becoming more common over the winter season. More than 17.3 million people received a COVID-19 autumn booster this year and overall, the National Health Service COVID-19 vaccination programme has delivered 144.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine since December 2020.

NHS staff, together with partners, including local Government and volunteers, have delivered a combined 38 million flu and covid doses this winter amid record pressures on emergency services, providing crucial protection to the most vulnerable and keeping thousands out of hospital.

NHS England has also written directly to parents of two- to three-year-olds and sent tailored letters to people in high-risk groups. An additional online national booking service was tested this year so eligible people had another route to book a pharmacy appointment. The effectiveness of this service is being evaluated for the 2023/24 season. There has also been a major seasonal vaccinations marketing and communications campaign to encourage people to come forward.

They will be ready to stand up future campaigns with the same dedication and determination once new guidance is set out. Plans for 2023/24 will build on good practice from previous flu and covid seasons and to reflect the need to achieve maximum coverage across eligible cohorts.

Reticulating Splines