In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Streeting said he was “shocked” by what he described as a lack of focus on children’s health when he was in opposition.
“As human beings, it is in our nature to prioritise children. You talk to the overwhelming majority of parents, good parents, they will take bullets for their children,” the health secretary said.
“There is that kind of innate sense of ‘I will do everything I can to protect my child’. I don’t think that’s reflected sufficiently in the state,” he added.
The pilot scheme was part of that aim, he said, targeting families who are not signed up to a GP surgery or face language barriers, travel costs or childcare issues which stop them getting to a doctor.
Uptake of childhood vaccines has declined over the past 10 years – no jabs met the 95% coverage target for children aged five and below, according to the latest data., external
Twelve areas in London, the Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire, the North West, and South West will test the approach over the next year.
The government said all other families should continue to have children vaccinated at their local surgery.
Streeting said there had been a decline in the number of health visitors and community nursing over a number of years, and that government was developing a workforce plan to address recruitment.
Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have additional training in community public health nursing. They work with families with a child aged five and under to identify health needs.
In response to Streeting’s comments, the Conservatives accused Labour of having “no plan for children’s health or the health service as a whole”.
“Labour are trying to distract from their dismal failures by pointing the finger at the last government,” shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said.