Taylor Kennedy / Alamy Stock Photo
Pharmacies could earn up to £700 in additional funding, plus a £10.06 fee per vaccine, if they participate in NHS England’s meningitis B (MenB) vaccination campaign for young people who are starting university.
In a statement published on 23 June 2026, Community Pharmacy England said that pharmacies are eligible for the additional payment in order to recognise the work involved in establishing the service and encourage uptake of the vaccine.
The NHS campaign for young people leaving school and starting university follows an outbreak of MenB at a university in Kent in April 2026, which led to two deaths and a targeted NHS vaccination campaign, while pharmacies reported surging demand for private vaccinations.
Under the new national programme, pharmacies can receive £300 once at least one vaccination has been administered, with a further £400 to be offered if 100 or more vaccinations are administered by the end of March 2027.
Around 1 million young people are estimated to be eligible for the campaign, consisting of:
- All year 13 students born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008;
- Students aged under 25 years old who are entering university or residential further education for the first time; and
- International students aged under 25 years old entering their first year of university.
To provide full protection, patients should receive two doses of the MenB vaccination, at least 28 days apart — ideally before the university term starts in September 2026.
NHS England’s service specification for the service, published on 23 June 2026, says that if patients have already completed a MenB vaccination course within the last five years, no further doses are needed. It adds that if patients have had one Bexsero (MenB vaccine) dose privately, they can receive a second dose at least 28 days later through the NHS campaign.
In addition, if patients have started but not completed a course of the Trumenba vaccine, they should be vaccinated with the two doses of Bexsero under the NHS campaign, while leaving a 28 day gap between doses, it notes.
The specification continues: “Where an eligible individual is uncertain about their vaccination history and is unable to produce any evidence of prior vaccination when they present, a two-dose course of Bexsero should commence rather than risk leaving them unprotected.”
The vaccine will be centrally procured and supplied by NHS England. Pharmacies can order stock free of charge via the Federated Data Platform and can order more when they have less than one pack (ten doses) in stock, if they have a good record of using centrally procured vaccinations previously.
Commenting on the details, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, said: “We welcome the publication of further details on the MenB service specification. The programme demonstrates the important role community pharmacies can play in delivering accessible vaccination services and protecting the public from serious diseases.
“Use of the National Booking Service (NBS) ensures that patients have a consistent route to booking their vaccination appointments.
“With the role of community pharmacy in vaccination programmes growing, it is now imperative that action is taken to ensure the NBS integrates effectively with pharmacies’ own proprietary booking systems. This will reduce the possibility of missed or double booked appointments and also any unnecessary workload that comes from pharmacy teams having to manage two systems simultaneously.”
Pharmacies which decide to provide the service must register online by 23:59 on 20 July 2026.
