Abstract
Annual increments in measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination coverage in England have halted, with uptake rates (mean 85%) remaining below the 95% rate needed for herd immunity. 1 Some commentators have called for vaccination to be made compulsory, or otherwise heavily incentivised. Health visitors were also concerned that making MMR vaccination compulsory, where other child health decisions are subject to parental free choice, would introduce inconsistency to healthcare policy and practice, and overemphasise the importance of MMR relative to other vaccinations.