Parents will be sent reminders to get kids vaccinated under new Tory plans

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PARENTS will be sent automatic reminders to get their kids vaccinated under Tory plans to be unveiled today.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a fresh drive to boost take-up of the MMR jab amid a worrying rise in measles cases.

The number of children getting vaccinated has fallen over the past five years – now at only 90 percent

Under the system families will receive text messages from their GP telling them which injections their under 16s need.

And the red book system, used to monitor babies health, will be digitised so doctors and parents can access vital details on a new app.

Ministers are concerned at the declining take-up rate for the MMR jab, which has fallen five years running to just over 90 per cent of kids.

And there is a further drop-off for the booster jab, with only 87 per cent of babies being brought back by their parents for a second inoculation.

Mr Hancock said: Vaccines save lives, and ensuring children are properly immunised is one of the most important things any parent can do.

So we will introduce a national vaccination reminder system, to make sure as many children as possible are vaccinated.

He also criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for having signed a parliamentary motion in 1999 calling for an investigation into the link between MMR and autism.

Experts welcomed Mr Hancocks plan but said it needs to be backed up with proper funding from the Government.

Mr Hancock, who joined Bake Off judge Prue Leith at University Hospital Southampton yesterday to promote better NHS grub, had previously raised the idea of excluding children from school if parents failed to get them vaccinated.

He has vowed to launch a new vaccination strategy within the first 30 days of a Tory government to help the UK regain its measles free status.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock tucks into an omelette that he cooked in the kitchens at Southampton General Hospital during a trip with Prue Leith