Meningitis B Vaccination Service FAQs

Q. How do pharmacy owners inform NHS England that they intend to provide the MenB Vaccination Service?
Pharmacy owners who decide to provide the service must first complete an electronic registration declaration.

The deadline for registration is 11.59pm on 20th July 2026.

However, pharmacy owners must register for the service by 6th July 2026 if they would like to start offering appointments on NBS from the service commencement date (20th July). In that case, as long as they have a minimum of one booking made via NBS from 20th July, the pharmacy will receive stock on time to administer it to the patient.

Registrations submitted after 20th July 2026 will not be accepted and the pharmacy will not be able to provide the service.

Q. Can distance selling premises pharmacies provide the MenB Vaccination Service?
Yes, however, distance selling premises (DSP) pharmacies are not permitted to provide vaccinations to patients at the pharmacy premises. With consent from the NHS England regional vaccination team, DSPs can provide vaccinations away from their pharmacy premises.

Q. My pharmacy has an LPS contract; will I be able to provide the MenB Vaccination Service?
All the services to be provided by an LPS pharmacy owner must be agreed between NHS England/the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the pharmacy and be included in the LPS contract. If they wish to provide the service, the LPS pharmacy owner should contact their local contract management team/ICB to propose a contract variation, to include the MenB Vaccination Service.

Q. My pharmacy does not have a consultation room; can I provide the MenB Vaccination Service?
No. Having a consultation room which meets the applicable requirements of the Pharmacy Regulations is a prerequisite for provision of the MenB Vaccination Service (except for DSPs).

Vaccinations can be offered in any area of the pharmacy (except for in DSPs) where suitable facilities are available and patient confidentiality and dignity is able to be respected. However, the vaccination must take place in the consultation room wherever the patient expresses this preference.

DSP pharmacies are not permitted to provide vaccinations to patients at the pharmacy premises, so don’t need a consultation room there.

Q. We are a distance selling pharmacy without a consultation room; can I provide the MenB Vaccination Service to patients off-site e.g. at a university campus?
Yes, provided you have obtained prior consent from the NHS England regional vaccinations team to provide vaccinations away from your pharmacy premises.

Q. Can the PGD be signed remotely (electronic signature) by the authorising manager, for example, from head office for all pharmacies in a group?
Yes. It is possible for the PGD to be signed remotely (electronic signature); however, the authorising manager still needs to be able to confirm that pharmacists, pharmacy technicians (and other individuals authorised to work under the PGD):

Are aware of the service specification and requirements for provision of the service;

Have demonstrated their competence to provide the service; and

Have the organisation’s approval to provide the service.

Q. Should a copy of the signed PGD be kept at the pharmacy for each pharmacist, pharmacy technician (or other individuals authorised to work under the PGD) providing the service at the pharmacy?
Yes. The PGDs state that a copy of them, with the completed practitioner authorisation sheet, should be retained and available at the pharmacy premises as a record of those practitioners authorised to work under the PGD.

Q. Does a pharmacy owner need to keep evidence of vaccinator competency for all individuals that deliver the MenB Vaccination Service?
Yes. The service specification states that pharmacy owners must keep evidence of competency relating to any staff that they employ/engage to deliver the service.

Q. Can pharmacy staff other than a pharmacist administer the vaccine?
Yes. Under the authority of the PGD, vaccinations can be provided by any practitioner listed in the Qualifications and professional registration section of the PGD, which mirrors the groups of practitioners authorised to supply or administer medication via a PGD under current legislation.

However, the Responsible Pharmacist at the registered pharmacy premises is still professionally responsible for overseeing these services.

If the Responsible Pharmacist is unable to provide sufficient oversight, for example due to workload or where vaccinations are undertaken off the pharmacy premises, an on-site pharmacist or pharmacy technician responsible for the delivery of the service must be linked and work closely with the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist through an appropriate governance framework to ensure appropriate oversight of the service.

Q. Can a pharmacy technician of nurse administer the vaccine as part of the service?
Yes. However, the Responsible Pharmacist at the registered pharmacy premises is still professionally responsible for overseeing this service.

If the Responsible Pharmacist is unable to provide sufficient oversight, for example due to workload or where vaccinations are undertaken off the pharmacy premises, an on-site pharmacist or pharmacy technician responsible for the delivery of the service must be linked and work closely with the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist through an appropriate governance framework to ensure appropriate oversight of the service.

Q. Can pharmacy technicians supervise NHS vaccination services in a community pharmacy?
The Responsible Pharmacist at the registered pharmacy premises is professionally responsible for overseeing the service.

If the Responsible Pharmacist is unable to provide sufficient oversight, for example due to workload or where vaccinations are undertaken off the pharmacy premises, an on-site pharmacist or pharmacy technician responsible for the delivery of the service must be linked and work closely with the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist through an appropriate governance framework to ensure appropriate oversight of the service.

Q. Can a pharmacist providing the service and qualified as an independent prescriber prescribe the vaccine for patients, rather than using the PGD?
No. The Advanced Service only uses a PGD to authorise administration of the vaccine.

Q. Do pharmacists, pharmacy technicians or other individuals authorised to work under the PGD have to send a copy of the signed PGD to NHS England or another organisation?
No. The signed PGD should be retained in the pharmacy where the vaccines are being administered.

Q. Can a pharmacy company with multiple pharmacies nominate one authorising manager for all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other individuals authorised to work under the PGD to sign the PGD, for example, the superintendent pharmacist?
Yes. It is for the pharmacy owner to determine who should be an authorising manager within their organisation.

Q. Who should complete the authorising manager declaration section on the PGD?
It is for the pharmacy owner to determine who should be an authorising manager within their organisation. The authorising manager’s role is to confirm that individuals providing the service:

Are aware of the service specification and requirements for provision of the service;

Have demonstrated their competence to provide the service; and

Have the organisation’s approval to provide the service.

In certain circumstances, for example, a community pharmacy where the pharmacist who will administer vaccines is also the superintendent pharmacist and pharmacy owner, it may be necessary for the authorising manager to be the same person as the practitioner, though this situation should be avoided wherever possible.

Q. Do pharmacy owners now have the option to choose their own IT system, rather than having it selected for them?
Pharmacy owners must use an NHS-assured Point of Care System to record the administration of vaccinations; for this service, NHS England’s Record A Vaccination Service (RAVS) system must be used.

Pharmacy owners without current access to RAVS can request access through the following link.

Request access to RAVS

Q. Is there mandatory MenB training for the service?
No, there is not a mandatory training programme to complete, however, the below resources provide options to use for training staff on the service:

UKHSA guidance for health professionals delivering the vaccination programme

UKHSA training slide set to accompany the above guidance

UKHSA and NHS England letter and annex on the MenB time limited vaccination offer.

Q. Do I need to have a DBS check to provide the MenB Vaccination Service?
Yes, all those involved in delivering vaccination activity as part of this service must have an enhanced DBS check against the children’s barred list

Q. Must I use the national booking service (NBS) to offer vaccination appointments?
Pharmacy owners must offer MenB vaccinations through NBS to patients.

Q. Is there a minimum number of appointments I must offer on NBS as part of the services?
Yes, the current specification requires that where pharmacy owners are providing MenB vaccinations, they must offer at least 100 listed appointments per month from the service commencement date and that appointments are available at various times throughout the pharmacy’s full opening hours, including late afternoons and Saturdays (where the pharmacy owner is open on Saturdays).

Q. Must we offer walk-in appointments for the MenB Vaccination Service?
Yes, pharmacy owners must offer vaccinations through advertised walk-in clinics via the NHS Pharmacy Services Finder.

Q. I want to develop my own promotional materials for the vaccination service(s); am I allowed to do this?
Yes. However, pharmacy owners must ensure they comply with the requirements of the Terms of Service relating to promotion of services funded by the NHS and if the NHS logo is used in materials related to the service, this must comply with the guidelines for use of the NHS identity by community pharmacies.

The MenB Vaccination Service page on our website provides links to resources from Community Pharmacy England, UK Health Security Agency and other organisations which pharmacy owners can use if they do not want to develop their own materials.

Q. Can a pharmacy owner provide a patient with any kind of free gift if they have a vaccination under the Advanced Service?
No. The Terms of Service state that a pharmacy must not offer any gift or reward to any person as an inducement to receive any Advanced Service.

Q. How are patients invited for a vaccination?
Those eligible in year 13 will be contacted directly through the NHS App, text, email or letter depending on records held by the health service.

Q. Should pharmacy teams verify the eligibility of patients requesting MenB vaccinations under the service?
Yes, pharmacy teams must confirm each patient’s eligibility prior to the administration of a vaccine regardless of the route through which the patient has presented for their vaccination. Details of evidence that can be presented is provided on our main MenB vaccination service page.

Q. Can a patient who lives in one of the other home countries, for example, Wales or Scotland, have an NHS MenB vaccine at a pharmacy in England?
Yes as long as they meet the eligibility requirements as stated in the service specification.

Q. Do I need to obtain consent from the regional NHS England vaccination team before vaccinating a patient off-site, e.g. at a University campus?
Yes.

Q. Is there an additional payment for vaccinations administered off-site?
No.

Q. Can my off-site location be added to the national booking service (NBS) so it is visible to patients when booking?
Yes. Off-site locations can be added to the NBS and COVID‑19 vaccination walk-in finder. Pharmacy owners should contact their integrated care board to arrange this.

Q. Will my pharmacy need to be registered with the CQC to provide the service?
No. The CQC does not regulate community pharmacies in relation to the provision of pharmaceutical services (including administration of vaccines); that is the role of the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Q. What should I do if there is a power failure to the fridge containing the vaccines?
You should refer to the Vaccine incident guidance and the vaccine product’s Summary of Product Characteristics. Further advice could be obtained from your local screening and immunisation team.

Q. Can a pharmacy buy vaccines direct from the manufacturer?
For NHS MenB vaccines, no. These must be ordered from NHS central stock only.

Q. Do patients who are not exempt from prescription charges have to pay a prescription charge for their vaccination that is administered as part of the service?
No.

Q. Is it mandatory for a pharmacy to have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the service?
Yes.

Q. Do we need to have a needle stick injury procedure?
Yes.

Q. Can I use an adrenaline auto-injector to treat anaphylaxis?
The Green Book states that autoinjectors for self-administration of adrenaline should not be used as a substitute for a proper anaphylaxis pack (see above). However, if an adrenaline auto-injector is the only available adrenaline preparation when treating anaphylaxis, health care providers should use it.

Q. If a pharmacist or pharmacy technician administers adrenaline in an emergency to treat anaphylaxis, is a PGD required to authorise the administration?
No. Regulation 238 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 allows adrenaline to be administered by anyone for the purpose of saving life in an emergency.

Q. What are the storage requirements for vaccines?
Vaccines should be stored in line with the requirements set out by their manufacturer in the Summary of Product Characteristics.

The Green Book, chapter 3, Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines provides additional guidance for all providers, including community pharmacies, on the storage requirements for vaccines.

Q. What records should I make if a patient has an adverse reaction to a vaccine?
A record of any adverse reaction from a MenB vaccine and any treatment administered or advised should be made by the pharmacy. Where the adverse reaction is deemed to be clinically significant by the pharmacist or pharmacy technician, this information may also be shared with the patient’s GP practice. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are reminded to report all serious suspected ADRs, even if the effect is well recognised, and all suspected ADRs linked to new medicines and vaccines to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via the Yellow Card scheme. New medicines and vaccines that are under additional monitoring are indicated by an inverted black triangle symbol (▼) displayed in their package, leaflet and summary of product characteristics.

Pharmacy professionals can report suspected side effects to the MHRA via:

The Yellow Card website; or

The free Yellow Card app, downloadable from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Q. Must patient consent be recorded in writing?
No. Patient consent should be obtained verbally and should be recorded in the pharmacy’s clinical record for the service. A signed consent record is not required.

Some patients may be unable to provide verbal consent, but this is not synonymous with lacking capacity. The individual just needs to be able to communicate their decision clearly and this decision should then be captured in the pharmacy’s clinical record for the service.

Q. Do I still need to make a claim on MYS at the end of the month for payment of the vaccinations I have provided?
Yes. Pharmacy owners must claim for vaccination programmes through the NHSBSA’s MYS portal. Claims for payment must be made within one month of and no later than three months from the claim period for the chargeable activity provided.