Sustaining NHS resilience
Hetal Naik, Primary Care Lead, Pfizer UK
Broadening the respiratory infections protection strategy for year-round defence
This content has been paid for, written and placed by Pfizer UK
This July, the government’s 10 Year Health Plan was published. It is anchored in the now familiar ‘three shifts’ – hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention.
A move from sickness to prevention is critical to delivering long-term change. This shift emphasises the long-established importance of vaccination as a key prevention measure, embedded as a public health tool to deliver on health and growth objectives – and the UK’s future success in this area requires careful attention to implementation within a changing NHS.
The abolition of NHS England and transfer of powers into the Department of Health and Social Care over the next two years makes the focus on the current vaccination strategy, and the successful transition of leadership, even more crucial to mitigate the risk of any knock-on impact to vaccination rates, which were seen during previous reorganisations.
Where can we look for early indicators of the success of the transitions now taking place? The prevention of respiratory illnesses must be one particular focus, for example influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), pneumococcal disease and – crucially – the Covid-19 vaccination programme, where public and policymaker interest has waned with the UK’s progress to endemic status.1 Parliamentary mentions of Covid-19 dropped 32 per cent from 2023 to 2024,2 and vaccine uptake has followed the same downward trend.
Covid-19: a persistent reality
Five years on from the height of the pandemic, misinformation and misconceptions continue to cloud understanding of Covid-19’s ongoing impact on individuals, the NHS and society. One of the most persistent of these is the idea that Covid-19 is a winter disease.
The reality is that Covid-19 cases remain steady throughout the year, as demonstrated by the latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data.3 Further evidence from a recent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) meeting also shows surges occurred last year in July and October, with no significant spike recorded last winter.3
This misunderstanding of the year-round risk of Covid-19 may be contributing to a drop in vaccination. The number of over 75s receiving their Spring Booster vaccine, for example, declined by approximately 15 per cent from 2023 to 2025.4,5
This trend is worrying as Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths continue to occur with consistency.3,6
Alongside a continued focus on improving vaccination uptake among eligible groups, COVID-19 treatments can play a role in helping to manage the disease for those at highest risk.7
A call to renewed action
Year-round vigilance is essential to reduce pressures on the NHS and maintain resilience. Continued vocal support for JCVI and UKHSA guidance will help ensure programmes remain responsive and effective. We are calling on government to reinforce vaccination as a cornerstone of prevention, which together with timely access to treatments, offer a combined comprehensive strategy for protecting vulnerable populations year-round. Sustained focus on year-round protective measures will be critical if the 10 Year Health Plan is to meet its goals and protect millions.
References
1. Department of Health and Social Care, 2024, JCVI statement on COVID-19 vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026. Accessed September 2025
2. UK Parliament, 2024, “Search results for ‘Covid’, 1 Jan 2024 – 31 Dec 2024,” Hansard, available https://hansard.parliament.uk/search?startDate=2024-01-01&endDate=2024- 12-31&searchTerm=Covid&partial=False&sortOrder=1. Accessed September 2025
3. UK Health Security Agency, 2025, National Flu and COVID-19 Surveillance Report: 17 July 2025 (Week 29), available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-season/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-17-july-2025-week-29. Accessed September 2025
4. NHS England, 2023, COVID-19 Weekly Announced Vaccinations (6 July 2023), available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/COVID-19-weekly-announced-vaccinations-6-July-2023.xlsx. Accessed September 2025
5. NHS England, 2025, COVID-19 Weekly Vaccinations (26 June 2025), available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/COVID-19-weekly-vaccinations-26-June-2025.xlsx. Accessed September 2025
6. UK Health Security Agency data dashboard COVID-19 29 August 2025, available here: COVID-19 | UKHSA data dashboard. Accessed September 2025
7. NHS England, Treatments for COVID-19, available here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/treatments-for-covid-19/. Accessed September 2025
PP-UNP-GBR-13288. September 2025.
