Childhood immunisation uptake is under pressure across the NHS. Not because families do not care, but because trust in health messaging has changed.
Since Covid, people consume health information very differently. Parents are exposed to more competing messages, more misinformation, and more noise than ever before. At the same time, trusted local voices, including general practice, are often less visible in the digital spaces where families now spend their time.
That creates a gap. And when trusted voices are quiet, less trusted ones fill it. For most families, the challenge is not access. It is confidence.
Visibility builds trust
General practice remains one of the most trusted parts of the NHS. The issue is not credibility, but visibility. Social media, when used well, helps practices:
- Reinforce calm, consistent messages
- Normalise routine prevention such as childhood immunisations
- Support herd immunity by reaching the wider community, not just individual patients
- Reduce anxiety by making reassurance visible and familiar
This is not about debating misinformation or becoming marketing experts. It is about showing up, clearly and consistently, in the places patients already are.
Social media works best as part of a system
Social media does not replace call and recall, letters, SMS, or conversations at reception. It strengthens them. Parents are far more likely to act when they see:
- A text reminder
- A reassuring post from their GP practice
- Clear information about why something matters and what to do next
Repetition builds confidence. Familiar messages feel safer.
The same principles apply across prevention
These communication principles do not stop at immunisations.
We have supported NHS Health Checks and other prevention programmes where practices needed to reach patients who do not typically respond to standard invitations. By combining targeted messaging, clear digital communication, and coordinated social media outreach, practices were able to improve uptake while reducing the administrative burden on teams.
What these programmes consistently show is that prevention works best when communication is:
- Planned rather than reactive
- Reassuring rather than directive
- Visible across multiple channels
The delivery remains clinical and local. The communication simply makes it easier for patients to engage.
Scale matters, but relevance matters more
In 2025 alone, Redmoor Health supported social media activity across hundreds of GP practice accounts in England, generating tens of millions of local impressions and engagements.
These are not national campaigns. They are local messages, from local practices, reaching local communities.
Some of the strongest examples come from practices that focus on consistency over creativity. Pages that post clear, practical updates for patients often outperform more polished campaigns, because they feel real, familiar, and trustworthy.
Prevention depends on confidence
Herd immunity, early detection, and long-term prevention all rely on trust. And trust today is built through visibility, clarity, and repetition.
Social media is not a silver bullet. But used well, it is a powerful support tool for general practice, PCNs, and ICBs looking to improve uptake, reduce inequalities, and ease workload.
The question is no longer whether social media has a role in prevention.
It is whether practices and systems feel supported enough to use it consistently.
