Recommendation 5

We agree that there is a need for national oversight of vaccination programmes and the value of this was clear during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, with routine immunisation programmes, the role of the Government and, in particular, NHS England must be limited to the more strategic, national level. Local ICS leaders, public health directors and health and care professionals have the best knowledge of the factors driving lower uptakes and the interventions needed to try and tackle that. As such, ICS leadership must step-up and take ownership of improving uptake in their area, and be supported to do so.