Children in England to be offered vaccines in their own homes starting January 2026
Health visitors in England will begin delivering vaccines door-to-door to children under five as part of a £2 million pilot scheme starting in January 2026. The trial will run across twelve areas in five English regions: London, the Midlands, north-east and Yorkshire, north-west, and south-west. If successful, a rollout to all areas is planned for 2027.
This initiative targets families who are not registered with a GP or face obstacles such as travel costs, childcare, or language barriers. Eligible children will be identified through GP records, health visitor notes, and local databases. Health visitors will be trained to safely administer vaccines and address any parental concerns.
The program aims to raise vaccination uptake to at least 95% to achieve herd immunity, following World Health Organization guidance. England fell short of this target for main childhood vaccines in 2024-25, with 91.9% of five-year-olds receiving one dose of MMR and 83.7% receiving both doses. By 24 months, 88.9% had the first MMR dose.
Concerns over measles remain significant, highlighted by a death linked to measles in Liverpool in July. In that city, 73% of five-year-olds had two MMR doses. Overall, the UK was among the worst performing G7 countries for first MMR jab coverage in 2024.
In addition to MMR vaccines, uptake rates for other vaccines among five-year-olds in 2024-25 included 88.9% for Hib/MenC and 81.4% for the four-in-one preschool booster.
Starting from Friday, the chickenpox vaccine will be introduced across NHS England as part of a new combined MMRV vaccine. This will be offered in GP practices targeting around 500,000 children annually and is expected to eventually replace the standalone MMR vaccine. In private markets, this chickenpox/MMRV vaccine is priced at approximately £150 per dose, underscoring the public health benefits of expanded vaccination coverage.
