Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is offered routinely to all adolescents in school Year 8, and catch-up vaccination is available up to and including 25 years of age for females and for males born on or after 1 September 2006 who missed vaccination through the school-aged programme. HPV vaccination is also recommended for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men up to and including 45 years of age.

The Department keeps all vaccination programmes under review, taking into account the latest scientific evidence and the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Any future changes to eligibility would be informed by the latest evidence and advice from the JCVI.

As part of the Government's 10-Year Health Plan, the Department is developing plans to expand access to HPV catch-up vaccination through community pharmacies for young people who missed vaccination at school, supporting the ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

The Government is committed to improving vaccine uptake and access across all immunisation programmes by exploring new and innovative delivery models, including expanding routes such as community pharmacies, as set out in the NHS Vaccination Strategy and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to develop options for delivering human papilloma virus catch-up vaccination through community pharmacies, with the ambition to increase uptake among younger adults who have left school, supporting our aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further guidance on roll-out plans will be published in due course.

The Green Book is written for healthcare professionals. The chapter on human papillomavirus (HPV) does highlight the causal link between infection with this virus, cervical cancer, and some non-cervical cancer including those of the head and neck. The HPV chapter 18a from the Green Book is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-papillomavirus-hpv-the-green-book-chapter-18a

Broader UK Health Security Agency guidance on HPV also highlights the protection the vaccine provides against HPV infection and related conditions. This public‑facing information also explains that the vaccine helps protect against cancers of the mouth and is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64919b26103ca6000c03a212/HPV_Vaccination_For_All_-_English_Leaflet_from_September_2023.pdf

It also highlights that the greatest risk comes from infection with high-risk types of HPV. There is very good evidence that the vaccine in use in the United Kingdom offers excellent protection against these high-risk types.

Uptake rates in England remain high by international standards but adolescent vaccine coverage for human papillomavirus (HPV) has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic, although evidence suggests coverage trends have stabilised more recently. National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent vaccination programme. There are established approaches to offering catch-up vaccination, and further work is underway to explore options for strengthening the catch-up offer. Currently, those who miss out on vaccination via the school-based offer can catch-up via the general practice (GP) HPV campaign, which went live from July 2025. GPs have been asked to invite unvaccinated individuals aged 16 to 24 years old for their HPV vaccine as a requirement of the GP Contract. The campaign runs until 31 March 2026, with girls remaining eligible until they are 25 years old, as do boys born after 1 September 2006.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12- and 13-year-old HPV offer and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk. For example, further information on the HPV vaccination programme over all and the HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-programme

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-for-men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm-programme#resources

The UKHSA also works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination, including for boys.

NHS England, in conjunction with regional colleagues, has produced an HPV vaccination school-aged immunisation improvement and uptake plan for internal operational NHS use, as part of their commitment to improving vaccine coverage.

In addition, NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including expanding the NHS App, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.

In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, which outlines how the National Health Service will improve uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening, including in Poole constituency. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

For young people who may have missed out at the point of initial offer, the NHS-commissioned School Age Immunisation Service (SAIS) providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent HPV vaccination programme.

NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including expanding the NHS app, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.

The UK Health Security Agency works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination.

Poole constituency is covered by the Dorset SAIS Leads who, alongside their leadership team, remain fully engaged with NHS England to drive performance improvements. A summary of key developments during the 2024/25 academic year includes the launch of a new e-consent system in September 2025 and a named link nurse for every school: a dedicated nurse has been assigned to each school in Dorset, including Poole, to improve communication and foster stronger relationships.

While uptake rates in England remain high by international standards, in recent years adolescent vaccine coverage for the human papillomavirus (HPV) has fallen due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent vaccination programme based on population need, to offer vaccination to those young people who may have missed out during the initial offer.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12 and 13 year old HPV offer, and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk. The UKHSA also works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination, including for boys.

NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including by expanding the NHS App, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.

In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the NHS will improve equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

In June 2025, NHS England launched the cervical cancer elimination campaign and toolkit for stakeholders, to increase awareness of the elimination target by 2040, educate the public about HPV, and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

As part of our 10-Year Health Plan, we have recently launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, to support systems with the roll-out of neighbourhood health services which will bring together teams of professionals, including pharmacists, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.

The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to encourage high uptake of all immunisation and screening programmes, including in areas where coverage has historically been low, by exploring new, accessible, and innovative delivery models.

The Department is also working with partners to develop options for human papillomavirus (HPV) catch-up vaccination through community pharmacies from 2026, with the ambition to increase the accessibility and uptake of HPV vaccinations among younger adults who have left school, supporting our aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

For cervical screening, primary care networks collaborate across their local neighbourhoods to offer additional appointments to improve access and convenience. Regional commissioners and providers also undertake targeted outreach campaigns. For example, the Living Well initiative in Cheshire and Merseyside offers mobile cervical screening to eligible individuals. The service can reach more individuals by being closer to where people live, work, and shop.

NHS England has also increased the provision of cervical screening sample taking services in integrated sexual health settings, which in turn has helped to improve access for people eligible for screening, especially individuals who would not access general practice or are not registered with a general practice.

The frequency of human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling will be the same as the frequency of clinician-led cervical screening. The home kits will only be offered to people who have missed their cervical screening appointment by six months or more. The next stage in the pathway for anyone who tests positive for HPV via self-sampling would be an appointment for a clinician-taken test.

Following the announcement to introduce HPV self-sampling in the National Health Service cervical screening programme for the under-screened population, the NHS has begun planning an in-service evaluation (ISE) of HPV self-sampling in the wider population.

The purpose of the ISE is to ensure that the self-sampling test is acceptable, accurate, and feasible compared with a clinician collected specimen, and to evaluate its impact on cervical screening uptake. The findings of the ISE will inform any future UK National Screening Committee recommendation to ministers to offer self-sampling across the whole population, alongside clinician-led screening.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at a national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority level. Data is not gathered at constituency level.

Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

The Government is committed to improving vaccine uptake and access across all immunisation programmes by exploring new and innovative delivery models, including expanding routes such as community pharmacies, as set out in the NHS Vaccination Strategy and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to develop options for delivering human papilloma virus catch-up vaccination through community pharmacies from 2026, with the ambition to increase uptake among younger adults who have left school, supporting our aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. Data is not gathered at constituency level. Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

Please refer to the supporting tables for local level uptake data.

Given the global public health burden of cervical cancer caused by HPV, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, with a target of 90% of girls being fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years old. This target focuses on the coverage of girls only. Further information on the strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer is available at the following link:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240014107

In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – for England, which outlines how the NHS will improve uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with NHS England and the Department to promote human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination as part of a national programme to prevent cervical cancers caused by HPV.

UKHSA uses data and surveillance to create public and stakeholder communications that raise public awareness of HPV and the importance of the vaccine. UKHSA publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12- and 13-year-old HPV offer, and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk.

On 19 June 2025, NHS England launched the cervical cancer elimination campaign and toolkit for stakeholders, to increase awareness of the elimination target by 2040, educate the public about HPV, and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

NHS England works with the UK Health Security Agency and local health partners and communities to understand the needs of their populations and tailor immunisation programmes to meet the needs of under-vaccinated communities.

Boys and girls in cohorts eligible for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination through the adolescent programme remain eligible until their 25th birthday. Many young people who missed out on their vaccinations have already been caught up, but work is ongoing to ensure that all those who are eligible are vaccinated, and School-Aged Immunisation Service providers are continuing to focus on HPV programme recovery post-pandemic.

In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, which outlines how the National Health Service will improve uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening. The plan sets how NHS England will improve HPV vaccination rates through increasing access, raising awareness, reducing inequalities, improving digital capabilities, and strengthening workforce capacity. Further information on the plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

The 10-Year Health Plan for England, published 3 July 2025, has committed to increasing the uptake of HPV vaccinations among young people, including those who have left school, to support our aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

NHS England, in conjunction with regional colleagues, has also produced a HPV vaccination improvement and uptake plan for internal operational NHS use, as part of their commitment to improving vaccine coverage.

For Cervical Screening Awareness week, which takes place between 19 and 24 June 2025, NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit. The campaign includes digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public about HPV, and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. Data is not gathered at constituency level.

Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England in March 2025, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

Progress has been made against meeting the World Health Organization’s targets and the 2030 milestones.

76.7% of girls and 71.2% of boys aged 14 to 15 years old received the HPV vaccination by school Year 10 after catch-up, as of 2023/24. Although uptake is not currently where we would like it to be for cohorts affected by the pandemic, catch up opportunities will remain in place through School Aged Immunisation Service providers and general practices, until the age of 25 years old.

76.9% of women aged 35 to 39 years old have a screening test recorded before their 35th birthday. 75.9% of women aged 40 to 44 years old have been screened in the previous five years, again as of 2023/24.

88.3% of all cervical cancers received one or more forms of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and tumour removal treatment. This rose to more than 96% for cervical cancer at stages 1 to 3, as of 2022/23.

In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 –for England, which outlines how the National Health Service will improve uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors uptake of HPV vaccination nationally, regionally and by local authority and publishes annual reports at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

While HPV vaccination uptake rates in England have been very high, vaccine coverage by cohort has been steadily declining since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, this decline appeared to be stabilising.

NHS-commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent HPV vaccination programme based on population need, to offer vaccination to those young people who may have missed out at the point of initial offer.

UKHSA works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination including for boys. NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including expanding the NHS app, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. HPV vaccine uptake is known to vary by local authority, and assessments of trends by locality are ongoing.

Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake