"Communities have all the solutions on how to create health if only we took the time to listen and then act on it."
In this expert interview, Rukshana Kapasi, Director of Health at Barnardo's, sets out a clear reality: vaccination uptake in the UK is not evenly distributed. Coverage is lowest in communities facing the greatest barriers to access, including those affected by deprivation, mobility, and limited engagement with traditional health services. Closing this gap requires more than clinical delivery. It requires trust.
Barnardo's approach is built around meeting families where they are. Through locally embedded family hubs, a multilingual helpline operating in 14 languages, and outreach shaped directly with communities, their work focuses on removing practical and informational barriers to access. The emphasis is not on changing attitudes in isolation, but on making services more accessible, understandable, and relevant to people's lived realities.
Rukshana describes how this translates into practice: simplifying language, using imagery that reflects the communities being reached, and working with trusted voices — from community advocates to local media — to communicate clearly and credibly. Their RSV awareness campaign, delivered over six months during a winter health crisis, demonstrated how community-informed, responsive approaches can translate into measurable impact.
Key takeaway: Community-based organizations play a critical role in reaching families who are often underserved by traditional systems. Strengthening collaboration between health services and the voluntary sector will be essential to improving equitable access to vaccination.
