Pharmacies offered up to £700 to join MenB vaccination service

Community pharmacies in England have been offered up to £700 in additional funding to deliver the new NHS Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination service, following publication of the service specification and funding details on 23 June.

Pharmacies that choose to participate will receive a £300 payment once at least one vaccination has been administered, with a further £400 available if 100 or more vaccinations are delivered by the end of March 2027. A £10.06 fee will be paid per dose administered.

Pharmacy owners wishing to provide the service must register online by 23:59 on 20 July 2026. However, those wanting to offer appointments through the National Booking Service from the service commencement date of 20 July must register by 6 July.

The service is commissioned as a one-off Advanced Service, with the vaccine to be centrally procured and supplied to pharmacies by NHS England free of charge. Pharmacies will be asked to administer two doses of the Bexsero vaccine to each patient, with the second dose given at least 28 days after the first and ideally before the start of the academic term in September 2026. First doses can be administered until 31 December 2026, with second doses available until 31 March 2027.

The eligible cohort is estimated at around one million people, comprising all Year 13 pupils born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, and under-25s starting undergraduate higher education or moving into residential further education accommodation for the first time in autumn 2026, including international students.

The service follows an announcement on 12 June by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England that community pharmacies would be commissioned to deliver the programme. The decision was made in response to a rise in MenB cases in England, including the largest and fastest growing cluster of MenB ever recorded in the UK, which occurred in Canterbury, Kent earlier this year. England recorded 313 confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease in 2024/25, with MenB accounting for more than 85% of those. The disease is fatal in approximately 6% of cases and can cause life-changing disabilities including amputations, hearing loss and brain damage.

Eligible Year 13 students will be contacted directly by the NHS via the NHS App, text or email and sent a link to book a pharmacy appointment. Under-25s starting university for the first time will be able to arrange a vaccination via walk-in at participating pharmacies.