Overview
- Health visitors will vaccinate eligible children during routine home visits to reach families who miss GP appointments or face access barriers.
- Twelve pilot sites roll out from mid-January across London, the Midlands, North East & Yorkshire, North West, and South West.
- The NHS will identify families using GP records, health visitor notes and local databases, with extra training for staff to administer vaccines safely and address hesitancy.
- From 2 January 2026, the combined MMRV vaccine replaces MMR, adding chickenpox protection in a single jab that GP practices will offer.
- Routine uptake remains below the WHO’s 95% goal, with 2024–25 MMR coverage at 91.9% for one dose and 83.7% for two, and a recent measles death highlighting the risk.