\u2018Stubborn barriers\u2019 to accessing childhood vaccinations, including around booking a GP appointment, are contributing to the \u2018worrying decline\u2019 in uptake, paediatricians have claimed. <\/p>\n
A report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health<\/a> said some parents face significant barriers getting their child vaccinated which is contributing to growing inequalities in coverage. <\/p>\n The current system is fragmented, hard to navigate, and too often fails the very families who need it most, the report found. <\/p>\n A lack of reminders from the GP about upcoming vaccinations as well as having no easy way to check vaccines their children have and have not had were among the issues raised by the college. <\/p>\n Falling vaccine uptake is too often blamed on anti-vaccine sentiment or misinformation when in reality many parents who want to vaccinate cannot access services that work for them, it concluded. <\/p>\n Inflexible appointment systems, inconvenient clinic hours, limited availability of slots or costs of travel all contribute to missed vaccinations, the year-long analysis that included interviews with NHS staff and parents found. <\/p>\n More can also be done to improve outreach initiatives, it said, as well as better data-sharing to help healthcare professionals track who has missed a jab. <\/p>\n But parents also feared being judged for raising concerns about vaccines or having beliefs in alternative medicine. They need clear, accurate and accessible information \u2018format and location\u2019 that is convenient as well as opportunities to ask questions. <\/p>\n Healthcare professionals, including allied staff, also need training to feel confident in answering parental concerns and \u2018support positive messages\u2019 around vaccination, the report recommended. <\/p>\n A lack of continuity of care was also contributing to the problem, the RCPCH found, with many parents seeing a different GP or clinician at each visit. <\/p>\n Yet the absence of health visitors was an especially significant factor<\/a> because it prevented better understanding of individual family circumstances that could influence vaccination decisions, the report noted. <\/p>\n Data shows high levels of support for childhood immunisation yet not a single routine childhood vaccine has hit the 95% target recommended by the World Health Organisation since 2021<\/a>. <\/p>\n