The 1840 Smallpox Vaccination Act made free vaccination available as a charge on the poor rates. Vaccination was, thereby, the first free health service provided through legislation on a national scale and available to all.
It was only in 1853 that the Vaccination Act introduced compulsory vaccination for all infants within four months of birth, but it contained no powers of enforcement. The 1867 Vaccination Act made vaccination compulsory for all infants, and set out procedures for the registration of successful vaccinations.
The Act came into force on 1st. January 1868, when it became a criminal offence for a parent to continually deny a child vaccination up to the age of 14 years, and to be liable to a penalty, on summary proceedings, of 20 shillings for so doing. The justices could make an order for the vaccination of a child under 14.
The Act required that on a child being registered, or within seven days, the registrar was to give a notice to the parent, or other person, to have the child vaccinated within three months. A certificate of vaccination was to be sent to the Registrar and a duplicate given to the parent.
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