Understanding practical barriers when accessing vaccines in the UK.
1
Royal Society for Public Health, London, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3905
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Decline in vaccine uptake in the UK is among the country’s greatest challenges. Since 2021/22, no childhood immunisation met the 95% target. Although misinformation plays a role in vaccine hesitancy, other issues also impact access. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) reviewed articles on this matter as part of its Commission on Access to Vaccines' work to analyse practical barriers to life-course vaccines.
METHODS:
The search took place in December 2025 and included studies that assessed barriers to vaccination in the UK. Search was conducted via EBSCOhost on CINAHL, Medline, and SocINDEX for the 2015 – 2025 period. Of 2149 articles retrieved, 60 met the inclusion criteria. All vaccines were considered.
RESULTS:
Most studies were qualitative (43%, n=26), followed by quantitative (27%, n=16). The period considered coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, so most studies analysed access to the COVID-19 vaccine (40%, n=24), followed by influenza (15%, n=9) and childhood immunisations (8%, n=5). Population included health and social care professionals, underserved communities, pregnant women, and the general public. Common practical barriers to access vaccination were: appointments at times or locations that did not work for the eligible population, long waiting times, cumbersome appointment-booking methods, capacity challenges of healthcare professionals, and lack of tailored approaches to reach underserved communities. Issues such as deprivation and lack of trust in government and healthcare institutions were also mentioned. Solutions to these issues include pop-up clinics and opportunistic vaccinations, as well as the use of trusted community voices to support those with concerns.
CONCLUSIONS:
The literature identifies several practical barriers to vaccination in the UK, including issues that can be addressed, such as the inconvenience of appointment scheduling and complex booking systems. These findings are informing the work of the RSPH Commission on Access to Vaccines, highlighting these issues to policymakers and other stakeholders.
Decline in vaccine uptake in the UK is among the country’s greatest challenges. Since 2021/22, no childhood immunisation met the 95% target. Although misinformation plays a role in vaccine hesitancy, other issues also impact access. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) reviewed articles on this matter as part of its Commission on Access to Vaccines' work to analyse practical barriers to life-course vaccines.
METHODS:
The search took place in December 2025 and included studies that assessed barriers to vaccination in the UK. Search was conducted via EBSCOhost on CINAHL, Medline, and SocINDEX for the 2015 – 2025 period. Of 2149 articles retrieved, 60 met the inclusion criteria. All vaccines were considered.
RESULTS:
Most studies were qualitative (43%, n=26), followed by quantitative (27%, n=16). The period considered coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, so most studies analysed access to the COVID-19 vaccine (40%, n=24), followed by influenza (15%, n=9) and childhood immunisations (8%, n=5). Population included health and social care professionals, underserved communities, pregnant women, and the general public. Common practical barriers to access vaccination were: appointments at times or locations that did not work for the eligible population, long waiting times, cumbersome appointment-booking methods, capacity challenges of healthcare professionals, and lack of tailored approaches to reach underserved communities. Issues such as deprivation and lack of trust in government and healthcare institutions were also mentioned. Solutions to these issues include pop-up clinics and opportunistic vaccinations, as well as the use of trusted community voices to support those with concerns.
CONCLUSIONS:
The literature identifies several practical barriers to vaccination in the UK, including issues that can be addressed, such as the inconvenience of appointment scheduling and complex booking systems. These findings are informing the work of the RSPH Commission on Access to Vaccines, highlighting these issues to policymakers and other stakeholders.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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