Wiltshire residents are being encouraged to take part in a short survey to help understand people’s views on vaccines and promoting their importance for future health initiatives.

Wiltshire Council wants to gain insights into public perception of vaccinations to inform our plans and actions to improve access and raise awareness of their significance and effectiveness.

Healthwatch Wiltshire, the independent statutory body which speaks out on behalf of people who use health and social care services, has been commissioned by Wiltshire Council to explore residents’ attitudes to vaccinations and their experience of receiving them.

Questions include:

• How safe do you think childhood vaccinations are?
• How clear are NHS communications about vaccinations?

The survey is here and available until 6 December www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/childhoodvaccinations

Nationally, children’s immunisation rates have been falling over a 10-year period including the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps and rubella) which is at a 10-year low.

Wiltshire generally has high childhood vaccination coverage, exceeding the national average, however some vaccinations, such as the MMR and pre-school boosters, still fall short of the World Health Organization's (WHO) target of 95%. 

Vaccines given to young people in secondary school (HPV, 3 in 1 teenage booster and MenACWY) also show coverage lower than targets. Currently the target is 90% or above . HPV coverage is lower in boys (76.2%) than in girls (81.5%) in Wiltshire.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Public Health said: “We encourage as many people as possible to take part in this survey to help us gauge attitudes towards vaccines. The feedback we receive will help us enhance how we communicate vital information. Low vaccination rates heighten the risk of disease outbreaks, which can be life-threatening. It is essential that we increase vaccine uptake and we need to listen to the community’s concerns and work collaboratively to address them.”

Amritpal Kaur, Project Portfolio Manager, Healthwatch, said: “We are proud to be commissioned by Wiltshire Council to inform their efforts in protecting children from serious diseases.  Our role is to listen carefully to residents and recommend how the Council can use this insight to shape their approach.”

You can speak to a GP about getting vaccinated if you or your child have missed any vaccinations, or you're not sure if you've been fully vaccinated Find a GP - NHS