Today, NHS England has published the NHS vaccination strategy.
In response, the British Society for Immunology has released the following statement.
Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology, said:
“We are very pleased to see the release of the long-awaited NHS vaccination strategy today, which provides a much-needed opportunity to strengthen the impact of life-saving immunisation services to better protect our communities from preventable diseases.
“The British Society for Immunology has been calling for urgent action from the Government as England has continued to miss key targets on vaccination uptake, in particular following a 10-year decline in coverage of routine vaccinations for children.
“The new NHS vaccination strategy highlights key areas of work that we believe are crucial to ensure vaccination rates improve and can offer the best possible protection against serious preventable diseases, including increasing accessibility, boosting the outreach and partnerships with underserved communities, and creating a stronger more integrated system that uplifts the vaccination workforce.
“Vaccines are the safest and most effective method to protect our communities against disease. We must use the publication of this comprehensive strategy as the springboard to build on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to facilitate better engagement with the public, particularly with those from underserved communities, about the importance of vaccination, both through widening community outreach and public health campaigns.
“While the ambitions laid out in this strategy are strong, their successful delivery will rely on the implementation of a strong leadership system and commissioning framework that are fit for function, alongside appropriate financing. We look forward to working with the NHS England and all partners involved to support the delivery of this strategy and further enable vaccines to play their vital role in improving the public health within our country.”
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Notes for editors
You can read the full NHS vaccination strategy at: www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-vaccination-strategy.
You can download copies of the British Society for Immunology’s guides to vaccinations, including for childhood vaccinations, vaccines for adults over 65 and COVID-19 vaccines here: www.immunology.org/public-information/vaccine-resources. The BSI guides are designed to answer common questions around how vaccinations work and why they are important.
For more information, please contact:
Teresa Prados, Senior Communications Manager
Tel: +44(0) 7464 621 014
Email: t.prados@immunology.org
Jennie Evans, Director of External Affairs
Tel: +44(0) 7703 807 444
Email: j.evans@immunology.org
The British Society for Immunology is the UK organisation representing scientists and clinicians who study the immune system.