Vaccine eligibility table for community pharmacies

Pharmacist immunisers must not supply or administer a vaccine and must refer persons to a medical practitioner if they have any concerns regarding consent, the person has a contraindication to vaccination, or has experienced a severe adverse event after vaccination, or the patient has complex medical needs, and the pharmacist cannot confidently and completely address these.

 The vaccines may only be administered in accordance with advice in the Australian Immunisation Handbook or Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advice.

A registered pharmacist immuniser initiating and administering vaccines under his/her own authority must comply with the three components of clause 48A of the NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 which prescribes rules for:

• completing an accredited vaccination training course,
• recording each vaccination in accordance with the regulation requirements, and
• conducting vaccinations under the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards

* Patients MUST be educated about first aid and medical assessment for any potential exposure to rabies or Australian Bat Lyssavirus regardless of having been vaccinated.

General training

The pharmacist immuniser must complete a training course that complies with the Australian Pharmacy Council 'Standards for the Accreditation of Programs to Support Pharmacist Administration of Vaccines' (current version).

The training course must be conducted by an Australian Pharmacy Council accredited pharmacy education program provider. The pharmacist immuniser must hold a certificate confirming competency to vaccinate following completion of an accredited training program for all authorised vaccines that they intend to administer.

The pharmacist immuniser must hold a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate issued within the last 12 months. If the pharmacist is administering vaccines to people aged less than 14 years of age, the CPR certificate must include paediatric CPR training.

To maintain authority to immunise, the pharmacist immuniser must annually review best practice policy for immunisation and ensure their competence for each vaccine they administer. This maybe, but is not limited to, attendance at seminars on current practices, or formal immunisation update courses.

An intern pharmacist who holds a certificate confirming competency to vaccinate following completion of an accredited training program for all vaccines they intend to administer, is only able to administer specified vaccines under the direct supervision of a pharmacist immuniser who holds certification to vaccinate for the relevant vaccine.

Cold chain management requirements

All vaccines must be stored within the recommended temperature range of +2°C to +8°C and protected from light at all times. Maintaining the cold chain is important to ensure that effective and potent vaccines are administered to patients.

Please refer to the vaccine storage and cold chain management webpage for further information on mandatory requirements.

COVID-19 vaccine training

For the purpose of supply and administration of any COVID-19 vaccine, a pharmacist immuniser, in addition to the above requirements, must also have read the ATAGI guidance on the use of multi-dose vials for COVID-19 vaccination and reviewed the NSW Health guidance on management of COVID-19 vaccines specific to each of the vaccines that the immuniser will be administering on the NSW Health COVID-19 vaccination webpage for immunisation providers.

Japanese encephalitis vaccine training

For the purposes of supply and administration of any Japanese encephalitis vaccine, a pharmacist immuniser, in addition to the above requirements, must also successfully complete the Japanese encephalitis - A learning resource for immunisation providers hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia or the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Additional information on the COVID-19 vaccination program for pharmacist immunisers is available on COVID-19 vaccination: information for community pharmacists.

Further information

For further information:

• on legal requirements of supplying and administering a vaccine under the NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 contact the Pharmaceutical Services Unit, NSW Ministry of Health by email MOH-PharmaceuticalServices@health.nsw.gov.au
• on the Pharmacist Vaccination Standards email the Immunisation Unit, NSW Ministry of Health on MOH-vaccreports@health.nsw.gov.au

Links

• NSW Pharmacist Vaccine Authority
• Application to register as a vaccination provider with the AIR
• NSW form to register as a vaccination provider (pharmacist)
• Guidance for pharmacist immunisers – Access to pharmacist approved NIP vaccines
• NSW Health - Staying safe and healthy overseas

Disclaimers

¹Funded by the Commonwealth separate to the NIP

²Advice on eligibility for NIP catch up vaccinations for people aged 19 years and under, people aged 25 years and under who have missed human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and refugees and humanitarian entrants aged five years and over is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care webpage.

³A single dose of dTpa vaccine is usually given to pregnant women at 28 weeks (can be given between 20 to 32 weeks of each pregnancy) and should be given as early as possible (from 20 weeks) to women who have been identified as being at high risk of early delivery.

⁴Meningococcal ACWY vaccine is free under the NIP for adolescents aged 14-16 years (primarily delivered through school-based vaccination program). Adolescents up to 20 years of age are eligible for free catch-up vaccination if they didn’t receive the vaccine at 14-16 years of age.

⁵Eligibility list is included in the NSW Health State-wide Protocol for the Supply and Administration of JYNNEOS Vaccine.

⁶Abrysvo® is the only vaccine approved for use in pregnant women and is recommended for pregnant women at 28 to 36 weeks' gestation. Gestational age should be confirmed prior to vaccine administration (verbal confirmation is acceptable).