Improving childhood immunisation uptake through empowering practices
NHS South, Central and West Child Health Information Service Improving Immunisation Uptake team provided targeted support to The Mounts Medical Central in 2024 to strengthen processes and improve childhood immunisation uptake.
Challenge
Childhood immunisation uptake in England is at its lowest level in a decade. Commissioned by NHS England, NHS South, Central and West (NHS SCW) Child Health Information Service (CHIS) Improving Immunisation Uptake (IIU) team supports GP practices in reducing inequalities and improving vaccine uptake among children aged 0–5.
CHIS data, NHS England identifies practices with high numbers of unimmunised children and extended waiting lists. Despite previous ICB support, The Mounts Medical Centre within Northamptonshire continued to experience declining uptake and growing backlogs, driven by limited administrative and nursing capacity, unclear processes and a transient, multilingual patient population.
The IIU team focused on strengthening systems and processes to improve vaccination uptake and increase protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
What we did
Following an initial process review, the IIU team supported the practice to adopt a whole-practice approach to childhood immunisations, with shared responsibility across reception, administrative, clinical and management teams. Staff were encouraged to promote vaccination at every appropriate opportunity, contributing to measurable improvements in uptake.
Over a six-month period, the IIU team reviewed uptake data with the practice and agreed targeted actions to refine processes. Support included a Vaccination and Screening standard operating procedure template, the GP Childhood Vaccination Toolkit, access to short digital masterclasses, and training on interpreting and actioning the CHIS Incomplete Immunisation Report. Monthly meetings supported data cleansing, progress monitoring and sustained process improvement.
Strong engagement from the practice manager and lead administrator drove significant organisational change, including:
- Protected weekly time for immunisation administration, including CHIS review and call-recall
- Appointment of a practice nurse as clinical lead for childhood immunisations
- Improved management of transient patients, with enhanced deregistration processes and alerts for overdue or hard-to-reach families
- Proactive telephone outreach to offer flexible appointments
- Follow-up calls from the practice nurse for missed appointments and personalised conversations to address vaccine hesitancy.
These changes strengthened systems, clarified responsibilities and improved engagement with families, supporting sustained improvements in childhood immunisation uptake.
Activity
Improving Immunisation Uptake Team
Provided targeted, timely support to GP practices identified through key performance and need-based criteria.
Data-driven decision-making
Utilising CHIS-wide Power BI reporting, the IIU team analysed practice-level data to create an evidence-based framework for informed decision-making.
Health improvement and inequalities
Delivered bespoke support to tackle health inequalities, working collaboratively with NHS England, NHS providers and ICB colleagues.
Impact
Immunisation uptake for children aged 0–5 showed significant improvement:
- All vaccines: 20.2% increase
- Primary immunisations: 8.2% increase
- 1-year booster: 11.8% increase
- Pre-school booster: 24% increase.
Outstanding or missing immunisations decreased from 530 to 290 children, a reduction of 240 children.