NSW Health has released a revised policy directive on health care worker screening and vaccination PD2024_015 Occupational Assessment Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases which continues to require mandatory vaccination and screening for certain diseases including influenza vaccination requirements for Category A workers employed in NSW Health facilities.
Yes, the Occupational Assessment Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases Policy Directive (PD2024_015) requires all Category A workers to be protected against a range of vaccine preventable diseases. Mandatory vaccination and screening is required for the following diseases. Appendix 1 Evidence of Protection provides detailed information on the evidence required to demonstrate protection against these diseases.
*Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for certain groups of workers at occupational risk of acquiring Hepatitis A. Speak with your doctor.
Transmission of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and tuberculosis (TB) in healthcare settings has the potential to cause serious illness and avoidable deaths in workers, patients and other users of NSW Health agencies as well as others in the community. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, risks must be eliminated or minimised through controls. NSW Health therefore has a duty of care and a responsibility under work health and safety legislation to control and minimise risks.
Vaccines work by triggering the immune system to fight certain infections. If a vaccinated person comes into contact with these infections, their immune system is able to respond more effectively, preventing the disease developing or greatly reducing its severity.
Vaccines used in Australia are safe and must pass strict safety testing before being approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). In addition, the TGA monitors the safety of vaccines once they are in use. More information about vaccine safety is available from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
While there is a risk of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) with any vaccine, most are mild and resolve quickly. The most common side effect is pain, swelling or redness at the injection site. Serious side effects are extremely rare. If you are concerned about any side effects after vaccination you should contact your local doctor who should also make a report to the local public health unit. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that occurs very rarely after vaccination, however it is readily managed by trained nurses or doctors.
The overwhelming evidence is that immunisation and population-wide vaccination programs remain one of the most effective public health measures to protect the community from vaccine preventable diseases. While no medication, including vaccines, is 100% effective, vaccination offers the best protection for individuals and for those they come into contact with by preventing disease or severe illness which can also help minimise the spread the virus.
Vaccine preventable diseases can cause serious illnesses, and so NSW Health has a responsibility to do everything they can to minimise the risk of disease spreading to their patients. If you refuse to get vaccinated or screened you cannot be employed or attend a clinical placement in a NSW Health facility.
If you are applying for a Category A position in NSW Health or attending a clinical placement in a NSW Health facility you must provide evidence of vaccinations or protection (blood results) against the required diseases as outlined in Appendix 1 of the policy directive 'Evidence of Protection'.
Evidence of vaccination may include an Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), a childhood immunisation record (e.g. a Personal Health Record ' blue book') or overseas vaccination records that are translated as appropriate. Vaccination records recorded in a foreign language may be translated using the Free Translating Service provided by the Department of Home Affairs or using a local translation service.
The NSW Health Vaccination Record Card for Category A Workers (including Students) can be used to record vaccinations and serology results. The Vaccination Record Card must be completed by an appropriately trained assessor.
The Vaccination Record Card for Category A Workers (including Students) must be completed by an appropriately trained assessor. This is a person who is considered by the health agency or education provider as having the appropriate skills to competently assess a worker’s compliancy status. This may be a doctor, authorised registered nurse/midwife immuniser, paramedic, registered nurse (RN) or enrolled nurse (EN) who has training on this policy directive in the interpretation of immunological test results, vaccination schedules, TB assessment and/or TB screening.
Appropriately trained pharmacists may complete the sections relating to hepatitis B, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), dTpa (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), zoster and influenza vaccines.
The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) was previously known as the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) and was expanded in October 2016 to record vaccinations given to individuals at all stages of life. There is no historical adult vaccination data held on the AIR so vaccination histories are unlikely to be complete at this stage. This will change over time as adult vaccinations are routinely reported to the AIR by immunisation providers. In addition to vaccination records, there are other requirements to demonstrate your compliance that are not available on the AIR, including serology results for hepatitis B protection and the TB checklist.
No. The inclusion of a batch number is desirable where available but is not a requirement for the evidence to be accepted.
If I have a medical condition and cannot be vaccinated – what should I do?
Most people with medical conditions can be safely vaccinated. You should discuss your medical condition with your doctor who will assess and provide advice on whether you have a medical contraindication to vaccination.
If you have a recognised medical contraindication to vaccination as specified in the Australian Immunisation Handbook, you will be required to provide evidence of the medical contraindication to your assessor for assessment and approval. The only acceptable evidence of a medical contraindication to a vaccine is an Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) - immunisation medical exemption form (IM011) AND AIR immunisation history statement (IHS) with the recorded medical contraindication.
NSW Health may request additional information to support the application for a temporary or permanent medical exemption due to a medical contraindication. If the request for a medical exemption is accepted, you will be required to comply with additional risk management strategies and may be reassigned to an area of lower risk. Student placements in NSW Health facilities may also be affected.
Yes. Students who have been assessed as compliant for the purposes of attending clinical placements will be required to undergo assessment and screening in accordance with the policy prior to employment in NSW Health. This includes medical exemptions granted during clinical placements.
This information will then be recorded in a state-wide database known as VaxLink and will be available to all LHDs in NSW Health. If you move between facilities or LHDs you won't need to provide the same documents again.
Existing workers who have been previously assessed as compliant under the previous policy and apply for a new position in the LHD do not need to be reassessed if they remain compliant under the current Policy. Workers who have provided a previous verbal history of varicella prior to 2018 do not need to be reassessed. The Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool must be completed again if there has been TB exposure where the contact screening has not been completed or when the worker has travelled for 3 months or more to high risk countries since their last assessment.
If the worker is transferring from a Category B to a Category A position, they must be assessed against the vaccination and screening requirements for Category A workers.
Yes. All agencies that provide workers to NSW Health facilities are obliged to comply with NSW Health policies including the requirements contained in the Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination against specified infectious diseases policy directive. Agencies must ensure that they only refer compliant workers to NSW Health. Agency workers must ensure that they have evidence of their compliance available when presenting for shifts to assist with local compliance monitoring processes.
Yes. This is to ensure that any issues with compliance are identified early in the students candidature as those who are non-compliant will not be able to attend their placement which may impact on their course completion. The TB assessment tool should also be submitted in the first year of study.
No. If the legal requirement, such as a Public Health Order relating to residential aged care facility workers, requires workers to be vaccinated against influenza. There are no allowances for workers who refuse vaccination, if the vaccine is available to them. You must comply with the legal requirements while it is in place.
In an emergency situation, such as an ambulance call out, or where officers from Fire and Rescue NSW, or NSW Police Force are attending a RACF in an emergency, or where tradespeople are required to attend to urgent repairs, it is considered reasonable for the officers or tradesperson to attend even if they have not been screened or cannot show they have a flu vaccination. If possible, the officers/tradespeople should limit contact with residents and staff. If such personnel are attending the RACF in a non-emergency or non-urgent situations (such as planned attendances), they must have been vaccinated against influenza, if the vaccine is available to them.
The vaccination declaration must be signed by an appropriately trained assessor. This may be a doctor, paramedic, authorised registered nurse/midwife immuniser, registered nurse (RN) or enrolled nurse who has training on this policy directive in the interpretation of immunological test results, vaccination schedules, TB assessment and/or TB screening.
If a worker or student has previously provided evidence of anti-HBs level ≥10 mIU, they are considered to have immunity. No further boosters or serology will be required unless they undergo immunosuppressive therapy or develop an immunosuppressive illness.
The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has developed disease specific immunisation history tables that provide a summary of the significant events in vaccination practice in Australia. The hepatitis B immunisation history table provides a history of age-appropriate hepatitis B vaccination schedules.
The birth dose given in Australia is not included as part of an age-appropriate hepatitis B vaccination schedule. The birth dose is only accepted for an overseas hepatitis B 3-dose schedule, with doses given at birth, 1–2 months of age and ≥6 months of age.
No. Routine testing for varicella immunity following vaccination is not recommended because commercially available laboratory tests are not sensitive enough to detect all seroconversions after vaccination. If a person presents with a history of an age-appropriate dose(s) of varicella-containing vaccine (includes workers aged 50 years and over who have received a dose of Zostavax) and negative varicella serology, protection should be assumed irrespective of serological results.
No. Shingrix is not indicated for the prevention of primary varicella infection (chickenpox). There is insufficient evidence at this stage to confirm that the Shingrix vaccine can provide protection against varicella (chickenpox) in people who have not previously been infected or vaccinated.
No. Workers or students should be referred by the assessor to their local TB service. Workers or students that have previously had TB disease or a positive latent TB infection test need to be assessed by chest x-ray and clinical review. Those entering the health system with health susceptibilities that increase their risk of acquiring TB should be provided with appropriate education, information, advice on their risk; and, an individualised management plan if necessary.
All new recruits and students are required to meet the cost of initial TB screening (TST or IGRA test). A positive TST or IGRA indicates that follow up is required for active or latent TB, and as per the Principles for the Management of Tuberculosis in NSW (PD2022_007), all investigations for cases, or suspected cases, of TB (active or latent) carried out through admitted patient and non-admitted patient services (including ambulatory care services) in NSW public hospitals and health facilities must be provided free of charge to the patient. This includes chest x-ray following a positive TST or IGRA conducted under the Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Policy Directive (PD2024_015).
Services that can administer and read a TST where the results will be accepted under the OASV policy directive are:
Health students and prospective workers from countries with high TB incidence are now screened for TB infection (using TST or IGRA) as part of their visa medical examination.
Visa applicants settling in NSW who tested positive on this screening will be referred by the Department of Home Affairs to a NSW TB service/chest clinic for follow-up. This referral may be prior to or contemporaneous with OASV assessment.
Workers with a positive TST or IGRA on migration screening should answer 'yes' to having ever had a positive TB skin test (TST) or blood test (IGRA or QuantiFERON TB Gold+ in Part B of the Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool. These workers should be referred to a TB service/chest clinic for clinical review unless the worker provides a summary of TB clinical review from a NSW TB service or the TB clinical review has been attended and updated in VaxLink.
A negative IGRA on migration screening performed within 3 months of arrival in Australia constitutes a valid TB screening test and these workers do not require further latent TB infection testing.
Re-screening is required where the result of migration screening was:
IGRA tests performed overseas may be accepted for OASV requirements provided they meet the requirements for a valid test. These are:
TSTs conducted overseas are not accepted unless the worker has had a positive TST on migration screening and been referred directly from the Department of Home Affairs to the TB service/chest clinic.
A laboratory report indicating a negative IGRA result can be signed off as compliant by an authorised immunisation assessor.
Where the IGRA result is positive, the worker will need to be referred to a TB service/chest clinic for a chest x-ray and clinical review.
A validated previous TB test result remains current if the worker has had no exposure to TB since that test, i.e.
For example:
Yes. All new recruits and students who have a positive TST or IGRA need to be referred for a chest x-ray and clinical review at a TB Service/chest clinic. This review is required to assess an individual’s risk of progressing from TB infection to disease, to provide education on disease progression, and consider TB preventative therapy if not previously treated since last known TB exposures.
Workers who have been previously referred to a NSW TB service/chest clinic for a Part B response on the Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool and have been made compliant, and who are re-assessed and have no new or different responses in Part B do not need to be re-referred to a NSW TB service/chest clinic unless they have new risks identified in Part C.
The previous Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool and evidence of compliance must be available to confirm no changes to responses provided previously in Part B. If the previous Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool is not available, refer worker to their local TB service/chest clinic for advice (as per Appendix 3).
To facilitate commencement of employment for a new worker, TB temporary compliance can be granted once a chest X-ray has been undertaken and excludes active TB disease, and the worker has an appointment at a NSW TB service/chest clinic for TB clinical review.
If a worker requires treatment or monitoring supervised by the TB service, TB temporary compliance may be ongoing following TB clinical review. A 'next TB clinical review date' will be provided or entered in Vaxlink. Failure to attend for next TB clinical review may result in TB compliance being revoked.
The period of influenza circulation is typically June to September in NSW. However, in recent years influenza epidemiology has become atypical, particularly in the context of COVID-19.
The end of influenza season is when consistently low level of influenza activity is reported. If the end of influenza season occurs before 30 September i.e. the end date of influenza season outlined in PD2024_015 Occupational Assessment Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases, a decision to remove influenza vaccination requirements prior to 30 September is at the discretion of each NSW Health facility.
Detailed information about influenza activity in NSW is available on NSW respiratory surveillance - COVID-19 and influenza.
NSW Health requires all Category A workers and new recruits to comply with the influenza vaccination requirements of PD2024_015 Occupational Assessment Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases. While strongly recommended for all workers, influenza vaccination is a requirement during the influenza season (1 June to 30 September inclusive, unless another period is determined by the Chief Health Officer or consistently low level of influenza activity is reported prior to the end of September) for workers employed in Category A positions.
Category A workers and new recruits should receive the current years southern hemisphere vaccine approved for use by the TGA in Australia once it becomes available and must have received it by 1 June each year. Category A new recruits employed outside of the influenza season may receive the vaccine, but it is not a requirement of employment.
Peak influenza activity in Australia varies each year but usually occurs between June and September. It is important to remember that influenza occurs all year round, it is never too late to get vaccinated. Workers should receive the current years southern hemisphere vaccine approved for use by the TGA in Australia once it becomes available and must have received it by 1 June each year. Workers employed outside of the influenza season (1 June to 30 September inclusive, unless another period is determined by the Chief Health Officer or consistently low level of influenza activity is reported prior to the end of September) may receive the vaccine, but it is not a requirement of employment.
Yes. Annual influenza vaccine is strongly recommended for all students and is a requirement for students attending placement in Category A positions during the influenza season (1 June to 30 September inclusive, unless another period is determined by the Chief Health Officer or consistently low level of influenza activity is reported prior to the end of September).
It is recommended you receive the annual influenza vaccine before the influenza season starts. Influenza vaccine will be available for existing NSW Health workers through clinics in your workplace from April and staff in Category A positions should be vaccinated by 1 June each year.
Category A workers (including students) and new recruits who are non-compliant with the requirement to receive the influenza vaccine by 1 June annually, will be required to wear a surgical mask as a minimum and comply with all other infection prevention and control risk reduction strategies including the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), during the influenza season (1 June to 30 September inclusive, unless another period is determined by the Chief Health Officer or consistently low level of influenza activity is reported prior to the end of September).
Wearing a mask, in conjunction with hand and respiratory hygiene, reduces the risk of influenza transmission. However, wearing a mask is still secondary to vaccination in terms of preventing the transmission of influenza.
During a season with pronounced vaccine mismatch, health care workers who have been vaccinated may voluntarily wear a mask to further reduce the risk of transmission. However, this not a requirement of this policy. Influenza seasons with pronounced vaccine mismatch are, fortunately, uncommon.
To protect patients from influenza transmission, both vaccinated and unvaccinated staff members should consistently practice hand and respiratory hygiene and stay at home if they are experiencing influenza-like illness until symptom resolution.
Infected health care workers can pass the virus on to their patients before they even know they are sick. The most effective way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated and adopting additional preventative measures, such as proper hand hygiene and proper sneezing and coughing etiquette (more information is available at Influenza vaccination information for healthcare workers. Immunisation helps health professionals reduce their risk of contracting influenza and spreading it to their patients. It also reduces the risk of you catching influenza at work and taking it home to your family.
While we know that influenza vaccines do not provide complete protection against influenza (vaccine effectiveness ranges from 30-70% depending on the match with circulating strains and the immune response of the recipient), they remain the best way to prevent influenza and are an important control measure in conjunction with regular hand cleaning and respiratory hygiene.
No. It is impossible for the influenza vaccine (the flu shot) to cause ‘the flu’. The vaccines used in Australia contain only part of the influenza virus and cannot cause infection. Common reactions to the flu shot may include soreness, redness and swelling where the vaccine was given. Occasionally other symptoms can include fever, headache and aching muscles that may last one to two days.
Workers employed in Category A positions who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical contraindication, will be required to provide evidence of the medical contraindication to the NSW Health agency for review and assessment (refer to Section 5.2. Contraindication to influenza vaccine of the Policy Directive).
If the request for a medical exemption is approved, you must wear a surgical mask as a minimum and comply with all other infection prevention and control risk reduction strategies including the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during the influenza season (1 June to 30 September inclusive, unless another period is determined by the Chief Health Officer or consistently low level of influenza activity is reported prior to the end of September).
Yes. Vaccination is the best protection pregnant women and their newborn babies have against influenza. Influenza infection during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery and severe disease in the mother. Vaccination during pregnancy also reduces the risk of the baby becoming ill with influenza in the early months of life. Pregnant women can have the vaccine at any stage of pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Yes. Staff health programs can order this vaccine via the online ordering system. Facilities will need to ensure that it is clearly labelled to distinguish it from the quadrivalent influenza vaccine.
Health services are required to make vaccinations available to all workers, including those on a rotating roster. Your staff health unit should provide information for all employees about arrangements to access influenza vaccine.
Your doctor or authorised nurse immuniser or authorised pharmacist vaccinator must report the vaccination to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). You will be required to provide a copy of your AIR Immunisation History Statement to your staff health clinic. Existing workers can also upload a copy of the AIR Immunisation History Statement in StaffLink using the Employee Self Service portal.
No. COVID-19 vaccination is not required to work, attend clinical placement or be employed in NSW Health. However, vaccination continues to provide strong individual protection from serious illness and death due to COVID-19. The revised PD2024_015 Occupational Assessment Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases strongly recommends that all NSW Health workers stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations as recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (ATAGI) in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Your staff health unit may offer COVID-19 vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccinations are also available from most GPs or pharmacies. If you are vaccinated in your own time you can claim a two-hour special leave payment on each occasion of COVID-19 vaccination. Please talk to your manager about when your appointment is so that rosters can be managed accordingly and/or flexible working arrangements to accommodate absence can be discussed.
For the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and to book a vaccination appointment visit COVID-19 vaccination in NSW.
Appointments can be made in the first instance, via the COVID-19 Service Finder at your GP or a community pharmacy.
For more information visit the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.
