Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
We asked the Department if communication campaigns had positively impacted vaccine hesitancy among any of...
Conclusion
We asked the Department if communication campaigns had positively impacted vaccine hesitancy among any of these groups. The Department told us that there had been a positive shift in general but conceded that there remained more to do.40 NHS England described a range of targeted approaches that local and national bodies had used to encourage uptake within specific groups. However, it was still not really clear to us that officials knew which approaches had been most successful, nor that they had a clear plan to address pockets of low uptake in future.41 34 UKHSA’s report, COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report: week 24, 16 June 2022, pp 20–21 35 RCP0006 Note dated March 2022 from Royal College of Nursing, point 4.11 36 Q 47 37 UKHSA’s report, COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report: week 24, 16 June 2022, pp 22–24 38 RCP0009 Note dated March 2022 from Royal Mencap, page 2 39 RCP0009 Note dated March 2022 from Royal Mencap, summary and pp 2–4 40 Q 46 41 Qq 46–47 14 The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme in England 2 Future planning for the programme Future vaccine procurement
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
2: PAC conclusion: Comparatively low vaccination uptake persists in many vulnerable groups and, after the first booster campaign, has even dropped further for some. 2. PAC recommendation: Recognising that reasons for lower uptake will vary, NHS England and UKHSA should urgently evaluate which approaches are most effective for increasing uptake, communicate again with local areas about what works, and provide support to them to deploy the most effective approaches. This should include fresh approaches to tackling the persistent low uptake observed in some ethnic groups. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2023 2.2 Throughout the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, the government has captured learnings and conducted evaluation about which approaches work most effectively in reducing vaccine inequalities. For the 2022 autumn/winter campaign, NHSE will work in partnership and support local systems to continue evaluating different approaches to vaccine delivery. Supported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) vaccination evaluation framework, this will provide better understanding of the most effective ways to offer vaccination, especially for communities where uptake and confidence may be lower. 3 2.3 Continuous engagement at a local, regional and national level with partners and organisations, as well as greater understanding through insight and community conversations, allow NHSE to continue to build trust and confidence with communities, maximise convenience and minimise complacency in a way that works locally. NHSE intends to continue offering vaccinations through a range of flexible delivery models, supported by culturally tailored and community-led activity.