UKHSA and NHS England together call for parents and healthcare workers to catch up on children’s missed vaccinations as schools start the autumn term.

UK Health Security North West and NHS England are asking parents to check their child’s vaccine records and catch up on any missed vaccinations with their GP practice.

The call comes as the new school term starts and new data shows that whilst most children are fully vaccinated by the time they start school, many are still left unvaccinated and vulnerable to catching serious illnesses.

The latest annual uptake data on childhood vaccines (April 2024-March 2025), published yesterday by the UKHSA, shows that 18.6% of children (16.7% in the North West) have not received their pre-school booster jab, almost 1 in 5.

The data report on children who turned 5 between 1 April 2024, and 31 March 2025. In England over the last 10 years, the coverage or uptake rates for the pre-school booster peaked at 86.3% in 2015 to 2016. The latest data, at 81.4%, is nearly 5% lower than the peak. Outside of London, the average coverage for England was 85.0%, with only 83.3% coverage in the North West region.

The 4-in-1 pre-school booster helps protect against 4 serious illnesses - polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria. Given from 3 years 4 months of age, the vaccine boosts the protection provided by previous vaccines given to babies. It ensures children have the essential protection they need when starting primary school. Without this booster, children are not fully protected.

The data also shows that uptake measured for 3 doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine by 5 years of age in England increased by 0.2% to 92.8%, and 93.4% uptake regionally. This increase is encouraging, and healthcare professionals are urging further progress towards reaching the peak of 95.6% over the last 10 years (2016 to 2017). A further 2.8% increase is needed to reach the peak level.

NHS England and regional ICB teams have continued the drive to encourage parents to vaccinate their children, including hosting extra clinics, catch-up opportunities in schools and localised outreach projects to target low uptake areas across the country. Early results from today’s released data indicate that the decline in the MMR1 vaccine has stabilised, with 91.8% receiving their first dose by age 5 years.

Childhood vaccination coverage varies greatly geographically and continues to be lowest for all the uptake indicators in London.

In England, areas (upper-tier local authorities) in the north consistently perform better than other areas. Pre-school booster rates for Cumbria (now 2 unitary authorities, Cumberland Council and Westmoreland and Furness Council) are at 94.3%, County Durham and East Riding of Yorkshire - 93.7%, Barnsley - 92.8% and Northumberland - 92.3%; compared with the overall England coverage of 81.4%.

In the North West region, uptake of 2 MMR vaccinations by 5-years-old is 85.6% – still falling short of the 95% coverage advised by the World Health Organisation to prevent the risk of the kind of outbreaks experienced in the region during 2023 and 2024.

Dr Matthieu Pegorie, Consultant in Health Protection leading on vaccine-preventable diseases for the UKHSA NW, said:- “We know parents in the North West want to do what’s best for their children, and that includes making sure they are immunised against childhood infections, which can be unpleasant at best, and potentially life-changing and life-threatening at worst. While people generally have confidence in the childhood vaccinations offered by the NHS, it can be hard to juggle busy lives, so finding time to book appointments can be difficult. This means that far too many children won’t be fully protected when starting school and will be at risk of serious infections, including meningitis, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis B, along with whooping cough and measles – which have caused outbreaks in recent years. Making sure children are fully protected before starting primary school is essential to keep them safe and give them the best opportunity to thrive at school.”

Dr Linda Charles-Ozuzu, Regional Director of Commissioning at NHS England in the North West, said:- “As the school holidays come to an end and families prepare for children to return to school next week, it’s incredibly important that parents and carers ensure their children are fully vaccinated, to ensure they are protected against serious illnesses. Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect your family against viruses and illnesses. Please take this opportunity to check your child’s vaccination records in their red book and contact your GP practice to catch up on any missed vaccinations.”

The latest data on vaccine-preventable diseases is available on the UKHSA Dashboard.

More information on vaccinations is available at this website.