Since 2022, no childhood vaccine in the UK has met the World Health Organisation target of 95% of children vaccinated, which ensures protection of vulnerable people. As a result, measles and other preventable diseases have made a comeback. A commission of experts from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) spent a year looking at why. Dr Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at RCPCH, said the steady decline in vaccination rates in a wealthy country like the UK was "extremely concerning". But she said vaccine hesitancy, when parents waver over getting their children vaccinated, "is only part of a very complex picture". "The reality is that there are many who simply need better support and easier access to appointments," Dr Stewart said. Although confidence in vaccines is still relatively high, the report found barriers to accessing jabs are why many families don't protect their children. Some of the most common barriers include: difficulties getting through to book appointments at GP surgeriesdifficulties getting time off work for appointmentslimited transport options or no parking at GP surgeriesnot seeing the same GP each time so lack of trustnot being able to speak to a GP or nurse to ask about the vaccineslack of reminders for jabs being sent out from GPnot enough clear information about what jabs their child needs and when "One of the findings of this new report is that parents have no easy way to check their child's vaccination status," says children's emergency medicine specialist, Dr Stewart. "When I ask if the child is up to date with their vaccinations, the most common response is 'I think so'." Poorer families, some ethnic minority groups and migrant communities are much less likely to be vaccinated, and these inequalities have become more obvious since the pandemic, the report says. It also notes an absence of health visitors often means parents have no one they feel comfortable discussing vaccines openly with.