Children in rural areas offered vaccines from home

People in rural areas are being offered house visits to get their children vaccinated.

It is part of a year-long NHS pilot in Somerset aiming to help families who face barriers to accessing GP appointments, before rolling it out across the country next year.

Under the scheme, qualified nurses or midwives will receive additional training to administer vaccines safely in the home and support parents who may have questions or concerns.

"Making vaccinations easier to access helps ensure more children get the protection they need to stay healthy and well, especially in more rural areas," said councillor Graham Oakes, lead member for public health at Somerset Council, which is supporting the scheme.

The health visitor-led immunisation programme aims to reach children who have not taken up previous GP vaccination offers, targeting families where issues like travel costs, childcare or language barriers may be stopping them from getting to a GP surgery.

The pilot is expected to support about 400 children.

Jo Gill, from Somerset Council and who has been working on the pilot, said while immunisation rates in Somerset overall were "not bad", there were patches where numbers were too low.

"In those patches, numbers are below the national average and the risk is infections could spread," Gill added.

"It's not about your child, it's about other children as well."

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