Completed projects

Our analysis on the lifelong costs of surviving meningitis influenced the UK Government to change its criteria for assessing the value of vaccination.

The MenACWY vaccine protects against four types of meningococcal bacteria that cause meningitis. Young people are at a higher risk of meningitis, so the UK government has made the vaccine available to 14-25 year olds. ‘One life, one shot’ was a campaign raising awareness of the vaccine and encouraging young people and students to make sure they have received it.

Our report highlighted that meningitis symptoms are missed in many children, and they are sent home after their first visit to a health professional. It also called for better ‘safety netting’ information for parents so they know what to do if their child becomes more seriously ill.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the most common meningitis-causing bacteria in newborns and is a major cause of infant deaths globally. The GBS Genome Library is a vital resource in furthering research in this area, describing the whole genome pathology and epidemiology of GBS for the first time.

The iConsent project aimed to develop a new set of simplified guidelines for patients taking part in clinical trials, to improve inclusivity and remove a barrier to taking part. We supported the project by gathering perspectives from patients and broadening the understanding of underrepresentation of women in clinical research.

Our successful campaign led to the UK’s Department of Health making the MenB vaccine available in the national immunisation programme for infants in the UK.

We campaigned for fairness in the rules used to decide the lifetime value of vaccines, so that the MenB vaccine isn’t only offered to babies. We applied pressure to the UK Government after they broke their promise to look at these unfair rules, delaying their report and stalling progress.