Increasing HPV vaccination uptake remains a key priority for us at EMCA, and we are delighted to share early signs of the impact our partnership with NHSE HPV Commissioners has had over 2025/26.

With prevention at the heart of the National Cancer Plan, improving HPV vaccination coverage is essential. HPV is linked to over 90% of cervical cancers in England, yet it is highly preventable through vaccination and regular cervical screening. The vaccine also offers protection against a range of other cancers affecting both men and women, including head and neck (mouth and throat) and penile cancers.

Throughout 2025/26, we have worked closely with primary care and public health partners across the region to strengthen uptake. Key activity has included:

• Ensuring all GP practices across the East Midlands have access to the HPV vaccination primary care toolkit.
• Delivering a regional HPV Vaccination Primary Care webinar attended by over 150 colleagues, with more than 50 evaluation responses highlighting overwhelmingly positive feedback.
• Supporting GP practices by collating and distributing lists of 16–18-year-olds without a recorded HPV vaccination on the Child Health Information System, alongside encouraging data validation and opportunistic vaccination.
• Promoting and aligning with the national GP HPV campaign for 16–24-year-olds, launched in July 2025.

These collective efforts are already making a tangible difference. In August 2025, HPV vaccination uptake across the Midlands increased by over 220% compared to August 2024. This is an encouraging indication of the impact of coordinated, system-wide action.

We would like to extend a huge congratulations and heartfelt thank you to all teams involved. This is a significant milestone and an important step towards protecting more people across our communities from HPV-related cancers.