More children to be protected from deadly viruses under GP contract changes

The 2026/27 GP contract will add incentives and support to help practices increase childhood vaccination delivery, and a £2 million pilot will fund health visitors to reach families facing barriers.

Thousands more children could be protected after changes to the GP contract for 2026/27 that embed vaccination delivery and add improvement incentives. The update is intended to strengthen vaccination where it is needed most and to support practices making progress in areas with low uptake. The change follows outbreaks such as the measles cluster in Enfield and the loss of WHO measles elimination status after over 2,900 confirmed cases in England in 2024. The national vaccination programme was expanded on 1 January to include chickenpox, with practices offering a combined MMRV vaccine at 12 and 18 months. Key points: - The contract will provide improvement incentives so practices making year‑on‑year vaccination gains can receive additional payments. - Practices in communities with lower vaccination rates that have been making progress will be recognised and can reinvest resources into outreach and follow‑up with families. - GP quality indicators will be updated to include delivery of the combined MMRV vaccine offered at 12 and 18 months. - Primary Care Networks will be required to identify care home residents with overdue routine vaccinations, and practices will have greater flexibility to collaborate on flu and COVID‑19 vaccine delivery. - The RSV vaccination programme will extend to all adults aged 80 and over and to residents in care homes for older adults from April, and GPs will be required to offer the RSV vaccine to eligible patients as an essential service. - A new £2 million pilot will fund health visitors to reach families facing barriers to vaccines. Summary: These changes are intended to increase uptake in high‑risk communities and reduce outbreaks by supporting targeted outreach and by aligning incentives with the national vaccine schedule. The contract is due to be unveiled this week, the MMRV rollout is already under way, and the RSV extension begins in April, while the longer‑term impact is undetermined at this time.