In a radical move to tackle alarmingly low immunisation rates, health visitors in England will begin delivering life-saving vaccines directly to children's homes from January. The Guardian can reveal the £2 million pilot scheme comes as official data shows not a single main childhood jab met the crucial 95% herd immunity target last year.
A National Crisis in Childhood Protection
The scale of the problem is stark. Only 91.9% of five-year-olds in England received the first dose of the MMR vaccine in 2024-25, the lowest level since 2010-11. The rate for the crucial second MMR dose was even worse at just 83.7%. This means about one in five children are starting primary school without full protection against deadly diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella.
The situation is particularly dire in some areas. In Liverpool, where a child died from measles in July – the first such UK death in a decade – only 73% of children have had the necessary two MMR shots. The UK now has the worst MMR uptake in the G7, according to the World Health Organization.
How the Door-to-Door Scheme Will Work
The new initiative will deploy specialist nurses and midwives, known as health visitors, to families' doorsteps. These professionals already work with families with children under five to identify health needs early. They will target households who face barriers to accessing GP services, such as those not registered with a doctor, or struggling with travel costs, childcare, or language issues.
NHS records, including GP data and health visitor notes, will be used to identify eligible children. The health visitors will receive special training to safely administer vaccines and to have sensitive conversations with parents, including those hesitant about immunisation.
The pilot will launch in twelve areas across five English regions in January: London, the Midlands, the north-east and Yorkshire, the north-west and the south-west. If successful, the scheme will be rolled out nationwide in 2027.
Broader Vaccine Challenges and a New Jab
The crisis extends beyond MMR. Uptake of the four-in-one preschool booster for polio, whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria was a record low of 81.4% among five-year-olds. Coverage for the Hib/MenC vaccine also fell to its lowest level in over a decade.
Amid this drive, the NHS is also introducing a new vaccine. From Friday, a chickenpox (varicella) jab will be offered free on the NHS in England. Previously costing around £150 privately, it will form part of a new combined MMRV vaccine, eventually replacing the current MMR jab offered at 12 and 18 months.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated: "Every parent deserves the chance to protect their child from preventable diseases... By meeting families where they are, we’re not just boosting vaccination rates – we’re building a health service that works for everyone." The move forms part of a wider effort to tackle health inequalities as the NHS faces extraordinary winter pressures.
