Timeline for pharmacy MenB vaccination service set out in NHS England guidance  

Pharmacists need to register by 6 July to receive meningitis B vaccination stock in time for the start of the new service, NHS England’s guidance states.

The specification for the new Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination service has been published by NHS England ahead of the launch of the one-off national programme next month.

The advanced service, which begins on 20 July 2026, has been commissioned to provide MenB vaccination to 17- and 18-year-olds and to people who are starting undergraduate higher education or moving into further education accommodation or halls of residence for the first time in autumn 2026.

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Contractors need to register their intention to provide the service through an electronic registration declaration to NHS England by 23:59 on 20 July. Those wishing to offer appointments from the launch date must register by 6 July to receive stock in time.

Eligible patients will receive two doses of MenB vaccine at least 28 days apart, and NHS England has advised contractors to administer first doses as early as possible after the service launches to maximise the likelihood of second doses being completed before the start of the academic year.

The first dose must be administered by 31 December 2026, allowing sufficient time for the second dose to be given before the service closes on 31 March 2027.

Vaccines will be supplied centrally at no cost to contractors and ordered through NHS England's Federated Data Platform. Contractors will be paid £10.06 per vaccine administered, with claims submitted through the NHS Business Services Authority's Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.

To recognise the work involved in establishing the service and to encourage uptake, pharmacies will also be eligible for:

• £300 once at least one vaccination has been administered; and
• £400 if 100 or more vaccinations are administered by the end of March 2027 (i.e. up to £700 in total).

To provide the service, contractors must already be delivering at least one NHS-commissioned vaccination service and one service involving the assessment or treatment of children, such as the NHS Pharmacy First service, and must comply with the relevant clinical governance requirements under the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013.

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Participating pharmacies will be required to offer appointments through the National Booking Service as well as providing advertised walk-in clinics.

The specification states that contractors should make at least 100 appointments available each month and offer appointments throughout opening hours, including late afternoons and Saturdays where appropriate.

Vaccinations can be administered by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other suitably trained vaccinators working under the responsible pharmacist's oversight.

The specification requires vaccinators to have completed appropriate immunisation training, have the necessary skills in the recognition and initial management of anaphylaxis, and hold an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check against the children's barred list.

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Pharmacies must also ensure vaccinators are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of meningitis and sepsis and communicate these to patients.

This programme follows a MenB outbreak in Kent earlier this year which was the fastest growing and largest ever seen in the UK.  The Department of Health and Social Care said there have also been ‘more clusters than normal’ this year, some of which have been bigger than expected.