Professor Steve Maddern (Director of Public Health), Teresa Cullip (Consultant in Public Health) and Alex Degan (Primary Care Medical Director, NHS Devon ICB) provided an update on vaccination activity across Plymouth, and discussed:

a)     The Plymouth Protects campaign had focused on increasing vaccination uptake, particularly within vulnerable communities, through joint working with system partners;

b)    Activity to date included city?wide poster campaigns and a targeted social media campaign, which had resulted in approximately 5,300 visits to the vaccination information webpage;

c)     Future work would focus on improving uptake of the HPV vaccine in school?aged children and increasing vaccination rates among older adults;

d)    Eligibility for NHS vaccination programmes was determined nationally, but work would continue with the vaccination outreach team to support access for frontline voluntary sector colleagues within national eligibility criteria.

In response to questions, the Panel discussed:

e)     Vaccination coverage for children in care, with officers confirming that overall uptake sat in the mid?70% range, which was slightly below the typical national target of 80%, noting that figures covered all vaccines combined and masked variation between individual vaccines;

f)      Data limitations for children in care, with officers explaining that vaccine?specific breakdowns were not currently available for this cohort, highlighting an ongoing gap in intelligence;

g)     The importance of continued engagement with children in care services to maintain and improve vaccination uptake;

h)    Uptake of the MMR vaccine and the availability of single?component vaccines, with officers advising that the standard NHS offer was the combined MMR vaccine, with limited exceptions for specific clinical circumstances;

i)      Advice for residents concerned about MMR vaccination, with confirmation that individuals should discuss concerns with their GP to explore appropriate options;

j)      Clarification that individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines were not routinely available through the NHS.

Alex Degan provided a further update on the winter vaccination programme and discussed:

k)     Eligibility for flu and COVID?19 vaccinations was set nationally by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI);

l)      The flu programme criteria remained broadly consistent, while COVID?19 eligibility had narrowed for the 2025/26 winter programme, including removal of eligibility for those aged 65–75 and for some frontline health and care workers;

m)   Plymouth and Devon continued to perform above the national average for flu and COVID?19 vaccination uptake;

n)    University Hospitals Plymouth had significantly increased flu vaccination uptake among frontline healthcare staff;

o)    Care home vaccination uptake in Plymouth approached 80%, exceeding regional and national averages, which was particularly important given the vulnerability of residents;

p)    Uptake of the RSV vaccination showed early positive indications, with emerging evidence suggesting significant reductions in emergency department attendance and hospital admissions, although national evaluation data was still awaited;

q)    Despite a wider range of vaccination delivery sites, including community pharmacies, uptake had not increased significantly, highlighting the continued need for targeted engagement and promotion, particularly for vulnerable groups;

r)     Future responsibilities associated with ICB clustering would place greater local emphasis on immunisation and vaccination delivery, with a focus on building on existing successes.

The Panel agreed:

1.     To note the Vaccination Update.