NHS vaccinations to be booked online in drive to increase uptake

People in England will be able to book all their routine vaccinations on a mobile app or online within the next three years under NHS plans.

Health bosses want to build on the Covid vaccination programme in order to increase uptake of other potentially life-saving jabs.

Currently, jabs other than for flu and Covid must be booked over the phone.

NHS England also wants to increase community outreach in areas where the take-up of some jabs is low.

Under the plans, 16 jabs for vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and human papillomavirus (HPV), will be available to book online by the end of 2026.

The new booking system will generate vaccination invitations and appointment alerts.

It will also allow people to view their, and their children's, medical and vaccination records online.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: "To ensure as many people get vaccinated as possible, we need to make sure the programme fits around people's lives."

She said the plans also aimed "to reach people who would not typically come forward for their jabs".

Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said vaccinations were one of the biggest defences against disease and ill-health, so it was vital that everyone eligible could access them.

"We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic that this is not always as straightforward as sending out an invitation, and also saw the devastating impact low vaccination rates can have on communities," he said.

Under the strategy, health professionals will undertake community work to improve "vaccine confidence", following a drop in uptake of some vaccinations - including the MMR jab - in some areas.

Additionally, vaccines will be offered more widely in non-NHS settings, such as sports centres, shopping centres and people's homes, NHS England said.

Prof Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, welcomed the plans. She said: "The link between uptake rates and vaccine confidence and accessibility is critical and I welcome this renewed focus by NHS England on innovative delivery approaches responding to local need."

Around nine in 10 children in England have received their pre-school immunisations, with flu vaccination rates among the highest in the world, NHS England said. However, this strategy is aimed at increasing rates still further.

Currently, more then 33 million people have signed up to the NHS app.

This autumn so far, 5.1 million NHS flu and Covid vaccines been booked in total online - 1.2 million via the app.