New Men B immunisation advice
Following recent high profile stories about child deaths from meningitis B, Public Health England has issued further advice:
Men B immunisation programme
Following recent media coverage about the death of a young girl from invasive meningococcal disease caused by Men B, many GP practices have had queries from parents about the availability of Men B immunisation.
This information is taken from Public Health England publications and the GOV.UK website (see below for details).
What is the national policy for Men B immunisation?
The Men B immunisation programme started on 1 September 2015 for babies aged 2 months, ie, babies born on or after 1 July 2015. There was a limited catch-up programme for babies born on or after 1 May 2015. The routine schedule is for immunisation to be given at 2 and 4 months with the primaries, with a booster at 12 months.
Can I vaccinate children born before 1 May 2015 if parents request it?
No. The national stock of Bexsero® should only be used to vaccinate children who are eligible for NHS vaccination.
Can I vaccinate children born on or after 1 May 2015 who have not yet been vaccinated?
Yes. All children in the eligible cohort (ie, born on or after 1 May 2015) remain eligible for Men B immunisation until the age of two years. When Bexsero® has not been given as part of a primary course, give two doses at least two months apart. Those children who have received one dose before their first birthday only require one more dose. Please see the MenB PGD for more information.
If parents ask to pay for Men B immunisation for their children, what should I tell them?
GPs should not charge their own patients (ie, those registered at their practice) a private fee for the vaccine.
Parents seeking the vaccine privately should be made aware that they will be liable for the full costs of the vaccine and any additional administration charges that the private provider may apply. We understand that GSK has supply constraints on the Bexsero vaccine for the private market. Practices must not use centrally-procured stock for the national programme to vaccinate private patients or any patients outside the eligible cohort (other than those at high risk as defined in the green book).
Further information
- Information for parents – please direct parents to NHS Choices or the GOV.UK website.
There is general information about MenB immunisation on the NHS Choices website.
- There is information for parents and professionals about MenB immunisation on the GOV.UK website.
- “Immunisation against meningococcal B disease for infants aged from two months. Information for healthcare professionals” from the GOV.UK website.
- The Green Book chapter 22.
- The MenB PGD (your practice should have a copy of the PGD).
GDPR goes live 25 May 2018 – latest guidance for practices (21 May 2018)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in less than 48 hours (25 May 2018). We have produced a round-up of a significant amount of guidance to help...Thank you to those who responded to our data-validation exercise (21 May 2018)
A big thank you to all the practices who responded to the data validation exercise, which ran between January-March 2018. We asked practices to confirm the details of the GPs...Tips of the month May 2018 (21 May 2018)
We provide weekly tips based on common queries which come through to us from London GPs and practice teams. These are shared via social media and collated for...Seven London hospital trusts cease to accept paper referrals in June or July (21 May 2018)
From the 1 October eRS will be the only route for GP to Consultant-led first outpatient appointments, as part of the Standard Contract 2018/2019. However, Trusts have staggered paper switch-off...Free leadership coaching available for practice teams in London (18 May 2018)
The London Leadership Academy, a pan-London leadership development organisation, working across all NHS organisations offers a free coaching service for GPs and practice team members working in the NHS. Recent...Londonwide LMCs’ Buying Group new shredding service – sign up now (18 May 2018)
Almost a fifth of our practices have signed up to the new Londonwide LMCs’ Buying Group which means they can take advantage of offers such as a new shredding service...NHS Digital to increase threshold for data sharing with the Home Office (18 May 2018)
NHS Digital will now only share patient information with the Home Office in cases where an individual is being considered for deportation due to “serious criminality”. Previously NHS Digital had...Acting as a supervisor for a doctor with conditions (18 May 2018)
This month our GP support team pose a challenge: Ask not what your LMC can do for you – ask what you can do for your professional colleagues. Background GPs are...Londonwide LMCs conference 2018 round-up (18 May 2018)
On 2 May 2018 we hosted our annual conference – titled “London Calling” - at the Kia Oval. The day was a great success with an array of guest speakers...Londonwide LMCs' Buying Group - MIAB (16 May 2018)
Caring for those that care the most - expert insurance from MIAB It would be easy to think of MIAB as 'just' another insurance broker. As one of many in...Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.
follow us on...
