The Department of Health and Social Care will pilot health visitor‑delivered childhood vaccinations from mid‑January 2026. Twelve schemes across London, the Midlands, North East & Yorkshire, the North West and the South West will test whether offering jabs during routine contacts can raise uptake among families facing barriers such as travel costs, language needs or hesitancy. Funding of £2 million supports the year‑long trial, which the department plans to evaluate ahead of a national rollout from 2027.
Operationally, health visiting teams will be able to vaccinate during home visits or clinic appointments, providing a safety net for children who have missed doses. The programme is additive: families should continue to access vaccinations through their GP practice as the first route. Eligible households will be identified using GP records, health visitor notes and local datasets, and participating staff will receive additional training, including on discussing concerns about vaccination.
Commissioning responsibilities remain unchanged. Health visiting is a local authority‑commissioned 0–19 public health service under the Healthy Child Programme, so delivery will require local providers to align governance, indemnity and data‑sharing with integrated care system immunisation leads and general practice. NHS England’s standards for vaccination and immunisation set out call/recall duties and collaboration with Child Health Information Services, school‑aged vaccination teams and local authority public health colleagues.
Clinical governance will mirror existing national requirements. Vaccines must be stored, transported and administered in line with the Green Book’s cold‑chain guidance, with documentation of temperatures and batch details. Staff should meet the National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training and work under an authorised Patient Group Direction or national protocol; UKHSA has issued an MMRV PGD template valid from 1 January 2026.
Digital support is expected to strengthen follow‑through. Government plans for the NHS App include ‘My Children’, described as a modern, digital alternative to the Red Book that will help parents view records and guidance in one place. The feature sits within the wider 10‑Year Health Plan to make the app a comprehensive front door to services.
The pilot coincides with the NHS introducing the combined MMRV vaccine into the routine schedule in early January 2026. UKHSA confirms programme commencement from 1 January 2026, while NHS England operational communications state services begin from 2 January. Under the new schedule, children born on or after 1 January 2025 are offered MMRV at 12 and 18 months, with date‑of‑birth specific arrangements for those born in 2024.
Implementation detail for providers notes that MMR remains available for older cohorts outside the routine programme, while the MMRV programme uses ProQuad and Priorix‑Tetra supplied via ImmForm. These arrangements are set out in UKHSA’s Vaccine Update guidance for services preparing for the January change.
Baseline coverage underscores the need for targeted outreach. UKHSA’s 2024/25 annual COVER report shows 5‑year MMR2 coverage in England at 83.7%, with lower rates in some regions and among children not registered with a GP. Improving completion of two‑dose courses is central to reducing preventable disease.
For local systems, practical steps include aligning PGDs and training, ensuring cold‑chain capability for community delivery, and integrating recording with GP systems and CHIS so doses count toward call/recall and uptake monitoring. NHS England’s standards emphasise proactive offers and collaboration across primary care networks, local authority public health teams and school‑aged services; UKHSA guidance sets the competencies expected of vaccinating staff.
Next steps are immediate mobilisation of the 12 pilots from mid‑January, data collection throughout 2026, and evaluation to inform a planned national rollout from 2027. DHSC positions the pilots alongside wider immunisation efforts and early years support through Family Hubs and Start for Life.