New GP contract to include incentive payments for improved childhood vaccination rates

New incentive payments will be given to GP practices that don’t hit childhood vaccination targets but that are making ‘progress’ with uptake, it has been announced.

The government has said the change will be made as part of the GP contract for 2026/27, details of which are to be released later this week.

Currently, only practices that hit QOF childhood vaccination and immunisation targets earn extra payments, with minimum achievement thresholds starting at 81%.

It has meant that practices in communities with lower vaccination rates – and who need the assistance most – are often missing out on additional payments even when they are making massive strides and recording year-on-year improvements in vaccination rates, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) admitted.

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The ‘improvement payments’ will give GP practices additional resources that can be used to reinvest in targeting families of unvaccinated children and to reduce health inequalities.

The move should help reduce outbreaks, such as the current one in Enfield, North London where dozens of unvaccinated children have contracted measles, the DHSC added.

It also comes following the announcement earlier this year that the UK has lost its World Health Organization (WHO) measles elimination status – after over 2,900 cases of measles were confirmed in England in 2024, the highest levels recorded in decades. Meanwhile, childhood vaccination rates are well below the 95% WHO uptake target needed to prevent measles outbreaks, and are falling.

Other changes around vaccination and immunisation in the next GP contract include:

• Updating ‘quality indicators’ and incentives to include the delivery of the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, that came in as part of the new chickenpox vaccination programme from 1 January this year.
• PCNs to be required to identify care home residents with overdue or outstanding routine vaccinations.
• Greater flexibility in how practices collaborate to deliver flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
• The extension of the RSV vaccination programme to all adults aged 80 and over and all residents in care homes for older adults, in addition to existing cohorts, from April. GP practices are required to offer the RSV vaccination to eligible patients as an essential service.

The Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM), which was formally part of the GP contract consultation process this year for the first time, has welcomed the new financial support given to help improve childhood vaccination rates where immunisation rates have been historically low.

Its directors said practice management teams have raised concerns about the current ‘blunt’ threshold-based funding model for many years since under the existing system, practices that do not meet the minimum threshold receive no funding at all despite successfully vaccinating large numbers of children.

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‘This approach has unintentionally disadvantaged practices serving more deprived, mobile or diverse populations,’ they said.

‘The IGPM is pleased to see this change acknowledge the operational realities faced by practice management and leadership teams. The move towards improvement-based payments for some practices better reflects the progress being made.’

Ruth Rankine, director of the primary care network and neighbourhood lead at the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said: ‘Increasing childhood vaccination uptake can be challenging, especially in areas where coverage has fallen and the risk of outbreaks has risen, so additional support for practices to work with families will be vital in helping protect babies and children from serious, preventable diseases.

‘We are particularly supportive of recognising meaningful improvement rather than relying solely on absolute thresholds. This is a more realistic and constructive way to encourage progress, given the very real challenges many practices face, including workforce pressures and higher levels of vaccine hesitancy in some communities. Extending improvement-based incentives more widely would help ensure practices are supported to build trust with families and increase uptake over time.’

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In January, health visitors began a £2m government pilot scheme offering childhood vaccinations during routine home visits to families that haven’t taken up immunisations through their GP practice.

A version of this article was first published by our sister title Management in Practice