High street pharmacies have delivered almost a quarter of a million Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines to young people ahead of the new academic term.
Figures published by NHS England (NHSE) today revealed that 246,089 jabs were administered between July 20, when the one-off pharmacy MenB vaccination programme was launched, and August 31.
Those born between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008, or born after July 21, 2001 but starting university or “some residential further education colleges for the first time this autumn”, are eligible for the jab, which must be given in two doses at least 28 days apart.
“Use pharmacies more”
NHS national director for primary care and community services Dr Amanda Doyle said pharmacies “up and down the country are making it easy and convenient to get jabbed”.
And National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg said called on the NHS to make the pharmacy MenB programme “an annual campaign”.
“Uptake for vaccines has dropped in recent years, particularly for adolescents, so the NHS should use pharmacies in more vaccination campaigns to help protect more people against preventable illness,” he added.
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Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison said the “rapid rollout” of the programme “demonstrates the role pharmacies can play in providing convenient and accessible vaccination services”.
But he added that the role of community pharmacies in vaccination programmes “can still go further”, and that “with the right commissioning, pharmacies can help increase uptake across a wider range of NHS vaccines and protect even more people”.
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It comes after Asda announced a £5 “reward” for those who purchased a private MenB vaccination at one of their pharmacies between July 21 and August 31.
And it follows the just 30 community pharmacies being commissioned to deliver the MenB vaccine programme in Northern Ireland.
