NHS Confederation and NHS Providers respond to government's additional support announcement for GPs

Responding to the government’s announcement that additional support will be given to GPs to help protect babies and children from life-threatening diseases, Ruth Rankine, director of the primary care network and neighbourhood lead at the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said:

“Primary care leaders welcome this announcement and see it as a fair and supportive approach for general practice, particularly for those working in communities with high levels of unmet need. Increasing childhood vaccination uptake can be challenging, especially in areas where coverage has fallen and the risk of outbreaks has risen, so additional support for practices to work with families will be vital in helping protect babies and children from serious, preventable diseases.

“We are particularly supportive of recognising meaningful improvement rather than relying solely on absolute thresholds. This is a more realistic and constructive way to encourage progress, given the very real challenges many practices face, including workforce pressures and higher levels of vaccine hesitancy in some communities. Extending improvement-based incentives more widely would help ensure practices are supported to build trust with families and increase uptake over time.

“General practice plays a crucial role in safeguarding children’s health and primary care leaders are committed to working with communities to reduce inequalities in vaccination coverage and protect more children from life-threatening illnesses.”