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Tackling Vaccination Health Inequalities

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Summary

Vaccination health inequalities remain a significant challenge across many communities. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccination programmes, uptake can vary considerably between different populations, leading to avoidable health inequalities and increased risks for individuals, families and communities.

This practical one-day programme explores the factors that influence vaccine uptake and equips participants with the skills needed to have effective conversations about vaccination. Drawing on health coaching, motivational interviewing and behaviour change approaches, the course helps practitioners move beyond simply providing information and instead seek to understand the beliefs, concerns, experiences and barriers that influence decision-making.

Participants will explore the causes of vaccine hesitancy, including issues relating to confidence, convenience and complacency, whilst developing practical communication skills that build trust, rapport and understanding. The programme introduces evidence-based approaches that support informed decision-making and encourage constructive conversations about vaccination.

Through discussion, case studies and practical exercises, delegates will learn how to recognise different stages of vaccine readiness, respond appropriately to individual concerns and support people to overcome barriers that may prevent them from accessing vaccination opportunities.

This programme forms part of our wider Health Coaching, Behaviour Change and Personalised Care Training pathway.

Aims

This practical programme helps practitioners understand the causes of vaccination health inequalities and develop the communication skills needed to support informed vaccination decisions within their communities.

  • Understand the inequalities that exist around vaccine uptake and the factors that contribute to vaccine hesitancy
  • Explore the links between social inequalities, health outcomes and vaccination uptake
  • Develop skills in rapport building, active listening and person-centred communication
  • Learn how to use health coaching and motivational interviewing approaches to explore concerns about vaccination
  • Understand how confidence, convenience and complacency influence vaccination decisions
  • Recognise practical, emotional, cultural and psychological barriers that may prevent vaccine uptake
  • Develop skills in Open Questions, Affirmations, Reflective Listening and Summarising (OARS)
  • Understand the Vaccine Readiness model and how to support people at different stages of decision-making
  • Practise evidence-based approaches that support informed choices whilst respecting individual perspectives
  • Build confidence in having compassionate, non-judgemental conversations about vaccination

The programme draws upon evidence-based approaches, including motivational interviewing and behaviour change methodologies, to support improved vaccine uptake and reduced health inequalities.

How Long Is The Course?

This programme is delivered as a full-day interactive workshop.

The course combines practical teaching, discussion, reflection, case studies and skills practice, enabling participants to develop confidence in supporting conversations about vaccination and addressing barriers to vaccine uptake.

Throughout the day, delegates explore real-world examples of vaccination health inequalities and apply health coaching, motivational interviewing and behaviour change approaches to a range of situations commonly encountered within healthcare, community and public health settings.

Participants leave with practical tools and frameworks that can be applied immediately to support vaccine confidence, improve access to vaccination services and reduce health inequalities within their communities.

Who Should Attend?

This programme is designed for professionals who support individuals, families and communities to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing, and who wish to improve vaccine uptake within the populations they serve.

  • Practice Nurses
  • Health Care Assistants
  • General Practice Assistants
  • Health and Wellbeing Coaches
  • Social Prescribers
  • Community Link Workers
  • Care Coordinators
  • Care Navigators
  • Health Visitors
  • Public Health Practitioners
  • Primary Care Network staff
  • Community and Outreach Teams
  • Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations
  • Anyone involved in improving vaccination uptake within their communities

The course is particularly valuable for practitioners who have conversations with individuals who may be hesitant about vaccination, face barriers to accessing services or experience health inequalities that affect vaccine uptake.

Additional Information

Many of the communication techniques explored within this programme are drawn from health coaching and motivational interviewing approaches. If you are looking to develop your broader skills in behaviour change conversations, you may also be interested in our Level 2 Health Coaching – Short Coaching Conversations programme.

For organisations working specifically with parents, carers and families, we also offer Having Vaccine Hesitancy Conversations in Family Hubs, a practical programme designed to help Family Hub practitioners build trust, explore concerns and support informed vaccination decisions through compassionate and effective conversations.

Delegate Feedback

Tackling Vaccination Health Inequalities
SE Combined Client - 30th April 2026

7 delegates completed evaluations, each scoring 4 domains out of 6

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