The health service is set to make booking a jab easier than ever as NHS England launches its first ever joint vaccination strategy.
The plan includes an expansion to the NHS app which will allow patients to book appointments through the app, see invitation alerts and get appointment notifications.
People will also have better access to medical records through the app, with parents able to check the vaccination status of their children online.
NHS England says it aims to fully implement theses proposals, and the entire strategy, by 2025/26.
The NHS also intends to strike deeper into the community and build on existing initiatives like school vaccination teams attending parents’ evenings, family clinics at children’s hospitals and wellbeing hubs.
Community work will centre around protecting underserved areas and improving “vaccine confidence”.
NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “Through the NHS app, we’ll make sure booking a jab can be as easy as booking a cab so millions more people can get vaccinated – users will be able to access their full vaccine status in a matter of seconds and book jabs with a simple swipe and tap.”
Today, we’ve set out how millions more people will get protection against a range of diseases more easily than ever before — in the new NHS vaccination strategy.
— NHS England (@NHSEngland) December 13, 2023
National Director for Vaccinations and Screening @steve_r76 explains how.https://t.co/rOAkB6B9bq pic.twitter.com/vjkzGwKXld
Vaccines will become part of the ‘one-stop-shop’ service, with NHS staff set to expand the offering of blood pressure tests and other healthcare advice.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, added: “The link between uptake rates and vaccine confidence and accessibility is critical and I welcome this renewed focus by NHS England on innovative delivery approaches responding to local need.”
Health minister, Maria Caulfield, commented: “To ensure as many people get vaccinated as possible, we need to make sure the programme fits around people’s lives.
She continued: “The Vaccine Strategy will build on the brilliant work already underway to make it easier than ever to get vaccinated and to reach people who would not typically come forward for their jabs.”
Image credit: iStock
