Children from struggling families to be offered jabs at home

Young children from struggling families in some parts of England will be vaccinated at home to protect them from preventable diseases, the health minister said.

The pilot programme, announced on Thursday as part of a drive to boost vaccine uptake, will see health visitors trained to spend more time with the small number of families who may fall through the cracks of the NHS.

Wes Streeting told the BBC that children’s health is not being given the priority it deserves.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said it is a “national scandal” that more than half a million children in England face long waits to access healthcare.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Streeting said he was “shocked” at the lack of focus on children’s health while in opposition.

“As human beings, it is in our nature to give priority to children. If you talk to the overwhelming majority of parents, good parents will take the lead for their children,” the health minister said.

“Naturally, there is a feeling of ‘I will do everything I can to protect my child.’ I don’t think this is adequately reflected in the state.” he added.

He said the pilot program was part of this aim and was aimed at families who were not registered with a GP practice or faced language barriers, travel costs or childcare issues that prevented them from visiting the doctor.

Uptake of childhood vaccines has decreased over the past 10 years – No jabs met the 95% coverage target for children aged five and under, according to the latest data.

Twelve regions in London, the Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire, the North West and the South West will test the approach next year.

The government said all other families should continue to have their children vaccinated at local practices.

Streeting said there had been a decline in the number of health visitors and community nurses for several years and the government was developing a workforce plan for recruitment.

Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have additional training in community public health nursing. They work with families with children ages five and under to determine their health needs.

In response to Streeting’s comments, the Conservatives accused Labor of having “no plan for children’s health or the health service as a whole”.

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew said: “Labour is trying to divert attention from its dismal failures by pointing fingers at the last government.”

Professor Steve Turner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, welcomed the plan and called on the health secretary to “right the wrongs of the past”.

Referring to NHS waiting times, he said it was now “a matter of routine” for children not to be seen by healthcare professionals within the NHS’s 18-week target, adding that he was “particularly astonished” that a quarter of children were waiting more than a year for community treatment, compared to just 1% of adults.

“Long waits for community and elective care are unacceptable at any age, but this is particularly true for children, where delays can cause irreversible and lifelong harm if care is not provided during critical developmental periods,” Prof Turner said.

He added that the unequal treatment of adults and children “must end” by tackling obesity, protecting mental health, reducing nicotine exposure and increasing vaccinations in children.

Children up to six years old across the UK Free vaccine protection against chickenpox will be offered on the NHS From January 2026.