MenB vac update: reminders and FAQs (updated)
Following the launch of the Meningococcal B (MenB) Vaccination Service this week, Community Pharmacy England has been working with NHS England to monitor its early progress and address teething issues.
NHS England has already taken action to support pharmacies in response to the concerns we raised around the initial ordering and allocation process. NHS England is continuing to review these processes daily.
Pharmacy owners will need to manage their vaccination capacity and appointment availability in line with their vaccine orders and scheduled delivery days, ensuring that published appointments on Manage Your Appointments (MYA) reflect when the pharmacy will have vaccine in stock.
To maximise service provision and best manage their stock, pharmacy owners are advised to continue to:
- Review their allocation showing on the Federated Data platform (FDP) Supply Dashboard. The pharmacy must have an allocation before an order can be placed.
- Place an order on FDP before your order cut-off deadline having reviewed if you have bookings on MYA.
- Confirm their assigned delivery day and check for the expected delivery time which will be available one working day before your assigned delivery day*.
- Ensure that their MYA booked appointments are scheduled for dates after their confirmed vaccine delivery. Review your available appointments against your expected delivery date and plan your bookings around your fixed delivery day and vaccine supply.
*Note, a trained individual must be available on site to receive the vaccine on the day of delivery (between 8am and 5pm), not just during the expected time of arrival window in case the delivery is subject to delays.
NHS England has updated its guidance on supply and delivery of vaccine, which is available via the Futures platform:
NHS England guidance on the Futures platform
Please download the latest version of the guidance and check for updates, which NHS England will continue to make, as necessary.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Community Pharmacy England has been compiling answers to queries about providing the new service. The following are some of the most commonly asked.
Q. Must we offer walk-in appointments for the MenB Vaccination Service?
Paragraph 4.18 of the service specification requires pharmacy owners to offer vaccination through advertised walk-in clinics via the NHS Pharmacy Services Finder. However, as no functionality to highlight the availability of such appointments has been added to that NHS IT system, the requirement in the service specification does not apply.
Pharmacy owners could choose to offer walk-in appointments in other ways if they wish to, such as highlighting a walk-in offer via display material in their pharmacy, information on their website, etc.
Q. Who is eligible for the MenB Vaccination Service?
The service is available to:
- All young people born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008 (current Year 13 age group) (whether they plan to go to university, further education or have other plans after leaving school).
- Young people born on or after 21st July 2001 and starting university or certain residential further education settings for the first time in autumn 2026.
The following flowchart can be used to help patients and staff assess eligibility for vaccination:
UKHSA Patient eligibility flowchart (PDF version)
Q. Can all the eligible patient cohorts book an appointment for vaccination via the National Booking Service (NBS)?
No. At this time, only individuals in the age range associated with the current school Year 13 (individuals born on or after 1st September 2007 and on or before 31st August 2008), can book an appointment on NBS. The remaining patient cohorts will need to book appointments locally with a pharmacy or be provided a vaccination as a walk-in patient.
Q. Is there any additional evidence of eligibility that needs to be checked for current Year 13 pupils?
No. Young people in the current school Year 13 are eligible for MenB vaccines based on their date of birth (born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008). They are eligible regardless of any future further education plans.
Q. Is it right that the current Year 13 age group are only eligible for the MenB vaccine if they are going to university or residential higher education?
No. All young people born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008 – the current Year 13 age group – are eligible for the MenB vaccine. They are eligible solely on the basis of their date of birth, whether they also plan to go to university, further education or have other plans after leaving school.
The following flowchart can be used to help patients and staff assess eligibility for vaccination: UKHSA Patient eligibility flowchart (PDF version)
Q. Are individuals who have booked a vaccine appointment via NBS able to book their second appointment while they are in the pharmacy once they have had their first dose?
No. Individuals will be able to book their second appointment on NBS only from the morning after their first appointment. Pharmacy owners should continue to remind individuals at the point of vaccination that they will need a second dose but that they will have to wait until the next day to book this on NBS.
Q. Do I need to update NHS Profile Manager to identify that my pharmacy is providing the MenB service?
No. There are several references in the service specification to pharmacies updating their NHS website profile via NHS Profile Manager to highlight they are providing the service or are withdrawing from provision of the service. Since the service specification was agreed and published, NHS England took the decision to update NHS website pharmacy profiles centrally, once a pharmacy was registered to provide the service and had vaccine stock allocated to them. Pharmacy owners therefore do not need to use NHS Profile Manager to update their NHS website profile in relation to the MenB vaccination service.
Q. Is there a minimum number of appointments I must offer on NBS as part of the service?
Yes, the service 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).
* The minimum of 100 appointments stated above is per month. In July, pharmacies are not expected to offer 100 appointments during the available operational days.
Further information, guidance and resources can be found on our MenB Vaccination Service webpage.
