Minister blasted over vaccination threat to pupils

THE Health Secretary was slammed by nurses yesterday after suggesting unvaccinated pupils could be banned from school.

Matt Hancock accused ‘anti-vaxxers’ of having ‘blood on their hands’ and said he would not rule out mandatory vaccinations for children.

But nurses at the annual congress of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Liverpool yesterday criticised his ‘bullying’ language and said parents should not be ‘forced’ to give their children vaccines.

Dame Donna Kinnair, who leads the RCN, suggested Mr Hancock’s ‘inflammatory language’ could isolate families. And Claire Picton said she took ‘complete exception’ to his message, adding parents should not be ‘bullied into something they feel is not right’.

Helen Donovan, of the RCN, said there wasn’t ‘clear evidence’ that mandatory vaccinations are the ‘most successful way of improving uptake’. She instead called for better access to appointments and ‘improved public information’.