Public health professionals and doctors to give evidence on childhood vaccinations

On Monday, the House of Lords Childhood Vaccinations Committee will be questioning two panels of witnesses working in public health as part of its inquiry into childhood vaccination coverage in England.  

The sessions will examine the roles of regional and local health systems in childhood vaccination rates.  

The first panel will discuss regional and local responsibility for vaccination, including the delegation of responsibility for commissioning vaccination services from NHS England to ICBs. The second panel of GPs will discuss the challenges of delivering the childhood vaccination programme as primary care doctors and the development of outreach services. 

Giving evidence at 2:15pm will be:  

• Will Huxter, Regional Director of Commissioning, London Region, NHS England   

• James Roach, Director of Primary Care and Local Care, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board  

• Dudu Sher-Arami, Director of Public Health, London Borough of Enfield   

Questions the committee is likely to ask include: 

• What are the trends and disparities in childhood vaccination coverage in your area? 

• How have core and outreach childhood vaccination services been developed to meet local needs in your area? 

• Who is responsible and accountable in your area for improving childhood vaccination coverage and reducing disparities? How effective is leadership and service coordination? 

• What is the influence of funding arrangements on childhood vaccination coverage? How could funding arrangements be used to help improve coverage and reduce disparities? 

• What is the influence of data systems on childhood vaccination coverage (for example, for inviting families for vaccinations, sharing data about vaccinations, and monitoring coverage)? 

• What is the influence of the healthcare workforce and the wider public sector workforce on childhood vaccination coverage? 

Giving evidence at 3:15pm will be: 

• Dr Tehseen Khan, GP, Spring Hill Practice and Clinical Lead, City and Hackney Integrated Primary Care  

• Dr Zoyah Hussain, GP and Childhood Immunisation Lead, Modality Partnership Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Division, Keighley, West Yorkshire   

Questions the Committee is likely to ask include: 

• What are the trends and disparities in childhood vaccination coverage in your area? 

• How have core and outreach childhood vaccination services been developed to meet local needs in your area? 

• Who is responsible and accountable in your area for improving childhood vaccination coverage and reducing disparities? How effective is leadership and service coordination? 

• What is the influence of healthcare systems on childhood vaccination coverage (including funding arrangements and data systems)? 

• What are the main barriers to sustaining public trust in childhood vaccination, and what would be the best ways to overcome them? 

The sessions will take place on Monday 23 March 2026 and can be followed live on Parliament TV.