𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Independent pharmacists warn the Government has a “serious problem on its hands” about the roll-out of the meningitis B vaccine. A one-off vaccination programme was announced last month to protect year 13 pupils and under-25s starting university or residential further education in the autumn. This followed two deaths during an outbreak of the disease in Kent.

The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) warns of young people being turned away, claiming the vaccination scheme is “plagued with problems” because of struggles with stock.

A poll of 3,000 pharmacies found just 3.7% said the service has run smoothly without problems. The vast majority (85.2%) said there were ongoing difficulties, including problems with vaccine allocation and the national booking system.

Then-Health Secretary James Murray had urged all eligible students to come forward for two doses in July and August so they would have “peace of mind”.

But Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the IPA, said: “When 85% 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.

“The IPA led the calls for a national MenB vaccination programme following the devastating outbreaks in Kent because we knew lives were at stake. We finally have the programme we fought for, but it risks being undermined before it has even got going because pharmacies have not been given the vaccines they need.”

The body released a statement from an anonymous pharmacist in the North West who said: “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.”

Dr Hannbeck added: “Community pharmacies are the front door to the NHS and are ready to protect thousands of young people quickly, safely and conveniently. The only thing holding this programme back is the lack of vaccine supply.

“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.”

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew said: “It appears Labour has rushed out its meningitis vaccination programme without a credible plan for how to deliver it. Now young people are being left anxious about their health, whilst NHS services are being stretched further.

“Vaccines are vital to protect the British public, but the infrastructure must be there to deliver them. Yvette Cooper must come up with a plan to guarantee patient access to these vaccinations, not another press release placing further strain on the NHS.

“The Conservatives oversaw one of the most successful vaccinations programmes in the world and we will always support the NHS to ensure patients are at the forefront, whilst ensuring value for taxpayers.”

It is understood that in some cases a head office may have signed-up branches to deliver vaccines without communicating what needs to be done at a local level to obtain supplies.

An NHS spokesperson said: “This programme has seen an incredible response, with more than 8,000 high-street pharmacies signing up in just four weeks to help us deliver this life-saving vaccine for young people – and the NHS has plenty of stock available and is working closely with pharmacies to roll this out quickly. There are tens of thousands of vaccine appointments available every day, so we’d encourage all eligible young people to come forward and book now to protect themselves, particularly for anyone starting university in September.”