The United Kingdom (UK) has a comprehensive national immunisation programme which comprises both routine and selective immunisation schedules (UK Health Security Agency [UKHSA], 2023). The routine programme includes those vaccines offered to the population, with eligibility predicated on age. For the last few years, vaccine coverage has been
falling in the majority of children’s and young people’s immunisation programmes (UKHSA, 2022; UKHSA 2023a; UKHSA 2023b; UKHSA 2023c). The decline in coverage has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdowns, illness among recipients, and confusion and hesitancy about vaccines in general. This article discusses the drop in coverage of the adolescent immunisation programmes in England, and the role that general practice nurses (GPNs) and primary care immunisers can play in ensuring that young people are offered missing vaccines. The benefit of this catch-up activity is seen in reduced risk of morbidity and mortality from vaccine preventable illness in both individuals
and those around them.