The Director of Public Health will provide the Commission with a verbal update.
Minutes:
The Director of Public Health provided an update on health protection activity since the previous meeting.
· It was noted that changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, including bringing forward the second MMR vaccination to 18 months of age, were expected to contribute to further improvements in uptake. Vaccination rates across childhood immunisations had continued on a gradual upward trend, with second dose MMR uptake reaching 85% over the last four quarters and moving closer to the national average. Whilst this represented positive progress, it was acknowledged that further work remained, particularly amongst vulnerable groups.
· Members heard that there had been no significant outbreaks since the previous meeting and that partnership working across the Integrated Care Board footprint on vaccination and immunisation programmes continued to strengthen. The appointment of an additional Community Infection Prevention and Control Nurse was also welcomed.
· The Commission was updated on the recent visit by the House of Lords Committee undertaking an inquiry into vaccinations. The visit had showcased Leicester's collaborative approach, including contributions from health partners, schools and community organisations. The key message from the visit was that sustained investment and consistent resources were essential to improving vaccination uptake, building on the successful response to the measles outbreak. A report and recommendations from the inquiry were expected in October and would be shared with the Commission.
· Members also received an update on wider health protection issues. It was noted that the recent red heat alert highlighted the growing need to prepare for the impacts of climate change, with increasing emphasis on prevention, public awareness and adapting buildings and services. It was recognised that pressures traditionally associated with winter were increasingly becoming year-round challenges, including the emergence of diseases spread by insects not previously common in the UK.
· The success of the RSV vaccination programme was highlighted, with lower than expected hospital admissions reported over the previous winter. However, concerns remained regarding the uptake of the HPV vaccine. It was emphasised that HPV vaccination was an important cancer prevention measure rather than solely a sexual health intervention, and that increasing uptake had the potential to prevent future cancer deaths. Community Wellbeing Champions continued to play an important role in raising awareness.
In response to Members questions, It was noted that:
· Whilst HPV vaccination uptake was higher amongst females across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as a whole, this pattern was not reflected within the city. Members stressed the importance of continuing to promote clear public messaging around the benefits of vaccination.
· Vaccination records could be accessed through the NHS App. Members highlighted inconsistencies depending on individual GP practices and suggested that improved visibility of vaccination records could help increase uptake. It was explained that this was linked to data governance arrangements within GP practices and that the issue would be raised with the relevant digital leads to explore whether more practices could enable access. Concerns were also raised regarding data quality across practices and the varying levels of support available to maintain accurate records.
Agreed:
1. The update on health protection activity be noted.
2. The findings and recommendations from the House of Lords vaccination inquiry be shared with the Commission once published.