The Trafford Council Health Scrutiny Committee met on 10 September 2025 to discuss routine immunisations in Trafford and preparations for the winter season of 2025/26. The committee noted a report on routine immunisations in Trafford, and a report on the Trafford Winter Plan. The committee also reviewed the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

Routine Immunisations in Trafford

The committee noted a report from Helen Gollins, Director of Public Health, on routine immunisations in Trafford.

The report provided an overview of vaccination programmes, which it described as one of the most effective public health activities. It noted that while Trafford performs comparatively well in immunisation uptake against both Greater Manchester and England, there are still inequalities and variations in uptake within Trafford.

The report highlighted that vaccine hesitancy is becoming better understood and work programmes developed that address this. It stated that there is ongoing work to ensure that vaccine uptake is maximised and misinformation and hesitancy is addressed.

Key points from the report included:

• DTaP-IPV-Hib-(HepB): Trafford's coverage at both 12 and 24 months has remained around the 95% operational target. As of Q1 FY24/25, overall uptake was 92% at 12 months and 95% at 24 months. Uptake varies by Primary Care Network (PCN) and GP practice.
• Pertussis (Whooping Cough) in Pregnant Women: Prenatal pertussis vaccination coverage in Trafford has fluctuated, with recent months showing a decline. National data indicates that vaccination coverage is highest in white British and lowest in Black or Black British – Caribbean ethnic groups.
• MMR1 & MMR2: Current uptake for children aged 0–5 years in Trafford is 92.2% for MMR1 (given at 12–13 months) and 84.7% for MMR2 (previously given at 3 years 4 months, now at 18 months). Uptake varies by GP practice.
• Flu Vaccination: Uptake in 2024/25 is lower compared to the previous year. Uptake is highest in adults aged 65+ but lower across children and pregnant women.
• HPV Vaccination: HPV vaccination coverage among 12–13 year olds in Trafford has consistently remained above the England average for both males and females.
• Sexual Health Service Vaccination: The Northern, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), offers vaccinations to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. A new programme, Men B for the prevention of Gonorrhoea, has been launched.

The report also outlined several challenges in increasing vaccination uptake, such as vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. It detailed work programmes to increase uptake, including the Improving Immunisation Uptake Team, public health initiatives, the role of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and primary care, and the role of the GM Screening and Immunisation Team (GMSIT).

The report concluded that while Trafford generally performs well in immunisation uptake, there are still challenges and inequalities. It noted that there is very limited local funding for increasing immunisation uptake, and responsibility for immunisation uptake sits with NHS England and ICBs.

Trafford Winter Plan Update 2025/26

The committee noted a report from Gareth James, Deputy Place Lead, and Maggie Kufeldt, Corporate Director for Adults and Wellbeing, regarding the Trafford Winter Plan Update 2025/26.

The report provided an overview of the key elements of the approach to winter planning, alongside organisational updates relating to what will be delivered by system partner organisations. It noted that health and care system partners in Trafford and Greater Manchester have been meeting regularly to plan for the upcoming winter period.

Key priorities outlined in the report included:

• Improving vaccination rates
• Increasing the number of patients receiving care in primary, community, and mental health settings
• Meeting the maximum 45-minute ambulance handover time standard
• Improving flow through hospitals with a particular focus on patients waiting over 12 hours and making progress on eliminating corridor care
• Setting local performance targets by pathway to improve patient discharge times, and eliminate internal discharge delays of more than 48 hours in all settings

The report detailed the approach to winter planning, including the re-establishment of the Trafford System Winter Planning Group, and events to test system winter plans. It also outlined the use of Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Discharge and Capacity Funds, and the Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (OPEL) Framework¹.

The report also included organisational winter deliverables from various organisations, including:

• GM Integrated Care Board - System Coordination Centre
• North West Ambulance Service (NWAS)
• Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT)
• Trafford Local Care Organisation (LCO) Adult Social Care and Health
• Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)
• Trafford Primary Care
• Trafford Public Health

Work Programme 2025/26

The committee considered the items within the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year, as detailed in the Health Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-26.