Hammersmith and Fulham Council is launching a new plan to tackle low vaccination rates across the borough, aiming to increase uptake to 95% and protect residents from preventable diseases.
The H&F Immunisation and Vaccination Improvement Plan
was discussed at a Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The plan acknowledges that vaccination coverage in the borough is currently below both London and England averages, posing a health protection risk.
Dr. Mayada Abu Affan, Director of Public Health, highlighted the challenges, stating, Vaccination uptake in Hammersmith & Fulham remains below the 95% target required for herd immunity. There is also a persistent inequality gap in uptake among underserved communities, driven in part by widespread misinformation and a lack of confidence in vaccines across different groups.
This lack of confidence is influenced by trust, cultural context, and access to clear information. Many residents are not opposed to vaccinations but have unanswered questions. To address this, the plan includes a H&F Vaccine Conversation Training
programme, co-produced with residents and community partners. This training aims to improve confidence in discussing vaccination, address misinformation and common concerns, support residents to make informed decisions, and increase uptake through trusted conversations. The training targets a multi-sector workforce, including local authority, health, VCSE, housing, employment, and faith settings.
The improvement plan outlines a multi-faceted approach with several key objectives:
- Strengthening System Leadership: Establishing clear governance and accountability for vaccination programmes.
- Increasing Vaccine Uptake: Implementing targeted outreach for childhood, adolescent, adult, and at-risk groups, including school-based vaccination promotion and care home optimisation.
- Reducing Inequalities: Identifying low-uptake areas and communities through data analysis and partnering with voluntary and community sector organisations. The council plans to partner with VCSE and community leaders. The 'H&F Vaccine Conversation Training' programme has already engaged representatives from Community, VCSE & Faith Sector, including Healthwatch, Family Hubs Navigators & Volunteers, Family Champions & Coordinators LBHF, Home-Start Family Support, BME Health Forum Engagement Lead, and various faith groups.
- Building Confidence: Providing training to frontline staff and community representatives to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
- Ensuring Seasonal Readiness: Developing coordinated plans for seasonal vaccination programmes, such as flu and COVID-19.
- Improving Data Quality: Developing a bespoke dashboard to enable real-time monitoring and targeted interventions.
- Community Engagement: Conducting in-depth work to understand barriers and co-produce solutions with residents.
- Innovative Interventions: Piloting pop-up clinics and integrated vaccination services to improve accessibility.
The plan also details the current performance of various vaccination programmes, noting significant gaps in coverage for key childhood immunisations. For example, at 5 years old, the coverage for MMR (Dose 2) is 59.8%, significantly below the 95% target. The coverage for DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB Primary at 12 weeks is 72.4%, also below the target. The report notes a data lag of approximately 3-6 months, which limits real-time performance management. This is being addressed through the development of a new WSIC dashboard to improve intelligence and targeting of interventions.
The 'H&F Immunisation and Vaccination Improvement Plan' has objectives for 2026-2028. While a specific timeline for the first results is not explicitly stated, the plan includes monthly performance and delivery review meetings with Vaccination UK (schools provider) and monthly targeted outreach in low-uptake neighbourhoods using roving and primary care teams.
The key performance indicators (KPIs) for the plan include COVER 0–5 indicators, MMR (Dose 2) at 5 years, flu uptake (65+, at-risk, pregnant women, children), RSV/Pertussis uptake in pregnant women, HPV coverage, the impact on the inequality gap between highest and lowest uptake wards, the number of staff/trusted figures trained in vaccine conversations, and the number of targeted outreach sessions delivered.
The Health and Wellbeing Board was asked to support the system-wide plan and champion vaccination efforts within services and communities to improve uptake and reduce inequalities. The plan is part of the broader Best Start in Life Plan
Best Start in Life Plan.
The meeting agenda and public reports pack can be found at Agenda frontsheet 18th-Mar-2026 18.30 Health Wellbeing Board and Public reports pack 18th-Mar-2026 18.30 Health Wellbeing Board respectively.
