Overview

• The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health report published June 30 identifies six key obstacles to vaccination, including appointment booking difficulties, inconvenient clinic locations and high transport costs.
• Stalled uptake below the WHO’s 95% coverage target is also driven by lack of continuity in NHS care, absence of health visitors, no GP reminders and fragmented digital records.
• Researchers highlight widening disparities among ethnic minority, socio-economically disadvantaged and migrant families due to language barriers, digital exclusion and challenges navigating the NHS.
• Despite these practical and structural hurdles, almost 90% of parents agree that vaccines are effective, indicating strong confidence in childhood immunisation.
• NHS England has rolled out flexible booking systems, mobile clinics and community-tailored support and experts are calling for stronger pro-vaccine social media campaigns and compulsory immunisation lessons in schools.