The commitments set out in our 10 Year Health Plan to improve vaccination uptake build on the framework described in the NHS vaccination strategy. The NHS vaccination strategy sets out a detailed long-term direction for improving vaccine uptake and equity across all communities in England, emphasising the importance of a consistent and accessible ‘front door’ to vaccination, with community engagement and outreach built into local services to address health inequalities, including that ICBs should have a named executive director responsible for vaccination, which is now in place. It also included plans to deliver new digital systems so parents can access their children’s vaccination record and book appointments on the NHS App, and test new ways to deliver vaccinations, for example by piloting the delivery of vaccinations through community pharmacies and as part of health visits. The approach set out actions to ensure clear and consistent communications between the NHS and parents, and to improve provider data capture and flow to increase data accuracy and visibility. These activities were rightly identified in the evidence received by the committee as having the potential to increase vaccine uptake, as well as the health visitor delivery model, which was also described in the strategy. But it is delivering the changes outlined in the NHS vaccination strategy and 10 Year Health Plan that will make a difference. Actions already delivered to increase maternal and childhood vaccine uptake include: • every ICB now having a board-level vaccination lead with structured plans to boost uptake in their area • introducing a 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 parents to access their children’s vaccination record and book appointments on the NHS App • dedicated funding in place to support targeted outreach to underserved communities • community pharmacies delivering flu vaccinations to 2 and 3-year-olds as a pilot in the 2025 to 2026 season • making respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough vaccines available through selected community pharmacies in underserved areas for pregnant women • requiring GPs to focus on maternal vaccinations in 2024 to 2025 and on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations in 2025 to 2026 through their annual vaccination campaign • introducing a financial incentive in 2025 to 2026 for GPs to administer childhood vaccinations by increasing the payment made for delivering a vaccination As highlighted in evidence to the committee provided by the Child Health Unit, it is important to focus on maternal vaccination rates to support the health of mothers and babies and future vaccinations. The actions described above in the maternity setting, when combined with a national communications campaign, have contributed to a significant increase in maternal pertussis uptake, from beneath the 60% optimal performance standard in April 2024 (58.9%) to a significantly higher level a year later in April 2025 (72.6%). In addition, where we have taken action to deliver targeted outreach for MMR, we have seen increases in uptake in underserved communities. Our new digital systems are improving the way people access their vaccinations, with significant improvements seen in school-aged vaccination consent rates, staff and patient satisfaction and workforce efficiency. We recognise that childhood vaccination rates need to improve and the government, NHS England and UKHSA are committed to making that happen.