Improving HPV uptake in school leavers living in areas of high deprivation

The HPV vaccine remains one of the most effective vaccines, providing long-lasting protection against several strains of the human papillomavirus that is known to cause cervical, vaginal, vulval, anal, penile, and head/neck cancers. A single dose of the vaccine is offered to boys and girls aged 12-13 years old through the School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS).

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing significant disruptions to delivery, resulting in a reduction in overall coverage, uptake rates have failed to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

There is increasing evidence that HPV uptake is lower among socio-economically deprived groups, with lower coverage associated with lower IMD among older adolescents in the initial catch-up programme that was delivered in schools and other settings between 2008-2011.

Catch-up campaigns, including the GP HPV campaign, provide individuals who missed the routine offer with an additional opportunity to be vaccinated. Capturing learning from these campaigns and associated activities is essential to identify effective approaches, inform future delivery models, and determine what further action may be required to reduce inequalities in uptake.

This project aims to:

1) Capture learning from catch-up campaigns including the HPV GP campaign and other locally designed initiatives to improve uptake in unvaccinated school leavers.

2) Co-design a tailored information resource to promote the HPV vaccine with key stakeholders including school leavers and parents in one location.

3) Develop a practical ‘How-to Guide’ on how to support HPV catch up campaigns to improve uptake in school leavers and address health inequalities.

The supplier will be required to have a robust understanding of community co-design principles, intervention development and experience in developing a ‘How-to Guide'.