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An overwhelming majority of pharmacy owners have encountered serious barriers to providing the recently launched Meningitis B vaccination programme in England, a new survey has indicated.

The Independent Pharmacies Association’s (IPA) survey of 3,000 member pharmacies has found that 85 per cent have faced significant difficulties with the rollout, with vaccine stock allocation and the National Booking System cited as key challenges.

Some eligible patients have been unable to book an appointment online, with NHS England directing them to speak to their GP – while a number of pharmacy owners say they have not had any vaccines delivered to them.

One IPA number in the North West commented: "We've received no MenB vaccine stock at all, despite patients being told to come to community pharmacies. We've had worried parents and frustrated young people contacting us every day, and it's heartbreaking having to turn them away through no fault of our own.

"It's a ludicrous situation. We have to open appointments for patients to book despite knowing we won't have enough vaccine stock to honour them. We're ready to deliver this programme, but we can't vaccinate people without vaccines."

IPA chief executive Leyla Hannbeck said: "When 85 per cent of pharmacy owners tell us this rollout has been riddled with problems, the Government has a serious problem on its hands. It is frankly absurd to urge thousands of young people to come forward for this lifesaving vaccine, only for many pharmacies to be left without the stock needed to deliver it.

"We implore the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, to get an immediate grip of this situation. Each day these supply issues continue just makes it another day that young people are left without protection from a potentially deadly disease."

Around 135,000 bookings have been made through the National Booking System, with more than 8,200 pharmacies signed up to deliver the programme, the NHS indicated today (July 27). 

An NHSE spokesperson said:  “This life-saving NHS programme has seen an incredible response, with over 130,000 appointments booked for young people already, and more than 8,200 high-street pharmacies signing up in just four weeks to help deliver the vaccine.

“The NHS has plenty of stock available and is working closely with pharmacies to roll this out quickly, with tens of thousands of appointments available every day.

“This vaccine needs two doses to be most effective, so we’d encourage all eligible young people to come forward and book as soon as possible to give themselves the best protection before the start of the new university year in September.”

Related: Asda offers £5 ‘reward’ to private MenB vaccine patients

JCVI recommends catch-up MenB vaccines for teenagers in ‘significant step forward’