Healthcare worker immunisation

About staff immunisation programs

Immunisation is important for healthcare workers because they are at a high risk of catching infectious diseases from people in their care. Immunisation helps to protect vulnerable people, such as young children or older people.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare's National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards requires all hospitals to have a risk-based workforce vaccine preventable diseases screening and immunisation policy and program.

Workplace operators are obligated to protect from injury their workers and those who enter their premises. This includes foreseeable injury that is caused by communicable diseases. Vaccination is one way to mitigate this risk.

Vaccination program requirements

The below documents provide advice for implementing a vaccination program:

General approval for an immunisation program

A general approval may be granted for providing an immunisation program by registered nurses or pharmacists providing immunisation services in the community under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 (this is only required for pharmacists in settings not covered by the Extended Practice Authority Pharmacy (EPAP)).

Find out more about General approvals.

Reporting requirements

It is mandatory for all vaccination providers to register the administration of specific vaccinations in the Australian Immunisation Register.

Healthcare facilities and private providers may also require staff vaccination administration be recorded in their own system or recordkeeping application.

At Queensland Health, staff vaccinations are recorded in the Staff Protect Application.

Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

The administration of the below vaccinations must be registered in AIR:

  • COVID-19 vaccinations
  • influenza immunisations
  • National Immunisation Program immunisations
  • Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) immunisation (administered on or after 21 December 2022)

For more information about reporting requirements refer to mandatory reporting on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Staff Protect Application (SPA)

SPA is a Queensland Health application used for recording:

  • staff vaccinations
  • staff immunity to vaccine preventable diseases
  • allergies
  • immunisation refusals
  • surface antibody levels for hepatitis B and rubella
  • fit testing results.

Log-in to the Staff Protect Application.

The SPA user manual can be accessed from within the application in the "Help" menu.

Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) are required to record employees, contractors, and volunteers:

  • immunisation history, OR
  • evidence of non-susceptibility to the specified vaccine preventable diseases.

HHSs are not responsible for recording students’ immunisation history as this is the responsibility of the education provider.

Planning annual immunisation programs

Annual workforce influenza immunisation programs (and any larger scale immunisation programs) require careful planning. Immunisation coordinators should commence planning months in advance of the immunisation program.

This can include:

  • engaging with executive leaders and managers early to ensure their support for the program
  • ensuring there are adequate human resources available to run and maintain the program, including clinical and data entry requirements
  • liaising with pharmacy contacts to ensure adequate immunisations are ordered in advance
  • ensuring there are sufficient resources to store and maintain immunisations according to the National Vaccine Storage Guidelines- Strive for Five
  • booking rooms or other venues for immunisation clinics and launch days
  • ordering consumables and other clinical items, such as sharps containers
  • booking or ordering items such as privacy screens, tables and chairs for clinics if required
  • creating promotional material such as posters, brochures, and other promotional materials may not be available from the immunisation manufacturer (see the list of resources below).

Promoting immunisation uptake

These strategies can be used for annual influenza vaccination programs, or other vaccination programs as needed.

Educate staff about the benefits of vaccination

  • Deliver education sessions that address misconceptions about vaccine preventable diseases, immunisation s, healthcare workers’ role in transmission and the importance of vaccination.
  • Use technology to provide more information such as educational group emails, SMS, or link educational materials from your facility’s intranet homepage.
  • Display posters and distribute brochures or flyers.

Promote the program

  • Promote a target coverage level and encourage a helpful element of friendly competition between work areas.
  • Use leadership modelling by asking the local executive and other leaders to actively promote and support the program. This could be through verbal or written communication to the workforce, involvement in promotional activities, or being vaccinated publicly at the program launch day.
  • Hand out “I’m vaccinated” badges or stickers.
  • Place posters, brochures or flyers in areas that staff frequent such as tea rooms, staff lifts and nurses’ stations
  • Use other promotional communication such as pay advice notices, staff newsletter and screen savers.
  • Ask local media and communications staff to assist with promotions.

Make it easy to access the program

  • Provide the immunisation for free, where possible.
  • Make sure clinic times are accessible to all shifts.
  • Use mobile vaccination trolleys.
  • Visit clinical and other work areas.
  • If possible, visit clinical areas after-hours to increase uptake in shift workers.
  • Consider vaccination stations at staff entrances.
  • Offer group or department bookings in the workplace.
  • Offer immunisation s opportunistically, for example at grand rounds, staff meetings and staff barbeques.

Send reminder messages

Reminders can be very effective, particularly for immunisation s that require multiple doses.

  • Send a SMS reminder for due dose or appointment (check with your email provider for instructions).
  • Make targeted phone call reminders.
  • In the initial appointment, prompt the staff member to add a reminder in their diary or calendar for the next appointment.

More information

Last updated: 7 August 2025