Quality standard

Quality statement 2: Offering outstanding vaccinations

Quality statement

Children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations are offered the outstanding vaccinations.

Rationale

When a child or young person is found to have missed vaccinations, it is important that healthcare professionals discuss the importance of, and any concerns about, the outstanding vaccinations with the child or young person and, if appropriate, their parents or carers. Doing this can increase vaccination coverage in the population and provide protection against disease for the child or young person.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations are offered the outstanding vaccinations.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by provider organisations, for example from service pathways or protocols.

Process

a) Proportion of children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations who are offered the outstanding vaccinations.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who are offered the outstanding vaccinations.

Denominator – the number of children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records.

b) Proportion of children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations who are offered a referral to a service where they can receive outstanding vaccinations.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who are offered a referral to a service where they can receive outstanding vaccinations.

Denominator – the number of children and young people identified as having missed childhood vaccinations.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records.

Outcome

Vaccination coverage in under 19s.

Data source: The COVER programme features quarterly data on vaccination coverage for children aged up to 5 years in the UK including: tuberculosis, diphtheria tetanus and pertussis (DTaP); polio (IPV); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); rotavirus; pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV); meningitis B; and meningitis C. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) features annual data on DTaP for babies up to 8 months, MMR for children up to 18 months, DTaP and IPV boosters and MMR up to 5 years.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (for example, hospitals, GP practices and walk-in centres) ensure that systems are in place for children and young people who are identified as having missed childhood vaccinations to be offered outstanding vaccinations or referral to a service that can give the vaccinations.

Healthcare professionals ensure that when they identify children and young people who have missed childhood vaccinations, they offer the vaccinations or refer the child or young person to a service that can give the vaccinations.

Commissioners (for example, clinical commissioning groups, integrated care systems and NHS England) ensure that services are available to identify children and young people who have missed childhood vaccinations, and offer the vaccinations or refer the child or young person to a service that can give the vaccinations.

Children and young people who are found to have missed vaccinations are offered the vaccinations straight away, or referred to a service that can give them the vaccinations.

Source guidance

Vaccine uptake in the general population. NICE guideline NG218 (2022), recommendations 1.2.6, 1.2.13, 1.3.14, 1.3.16, 1.3.35 and 1.3.38

Equality and diversity considerations

Healthcare professionals need to be aware that some children may arrive in the UK without vaccination records, and vaccination schedules in other countries may be different from the current UK programme. Healthcare professionals should ensure they get as much information as possible from the child or young person and/or parent or carer about their vaccination history and offer outstanding vaccinations. They should also identify differences in the UK programme with the country of origin of the child or young person.

Healthcare professionals should also be aware that children and young people from vulnerable groups, such as people experiencing homelessness, travellers, young offenders, refugees and those who are HIV positive, are at increased likelihood of having missed previous vaccinations. Healthcare professionals should ensure they get as much information as possible from the child or young person and/or parent or carer about their vaccination history and offer outstanding vaccinations.