Vaccination of workers in healthcare settings

What to know

A vaccine preventable disease (VPD) is an illness that can be avoided—or made less severe—through vaccination. Some people may also become immune to vaccine preventable diseases after recovering from the disease naturally.

Queensland Health has a duty to protect workers, patients, and visitors from the spread of vaccine preventable diseases in healthcare settings. To meet this responsibility, there are mandatory screening requirements for all workers, including:

  • existing employees and employee candidates (permanent, temporary, and casual),
  • contractors and volunteers - engaged directly (by the hospital and health service (HHS) or indirectly (by a contract provider), and
  • students.

About this guideline

The Vaccination of workers in healthcare settings guideline supports the implementation of Queensland Health policy and Directives for the vaccine preventable disease screening of workers in healthcare settings and is aligned with the key elements of a comprehensive workforce vaccination program, which include:

  • Vaccine preventable disease requirements for workers based on:
    • risk of vaccine preventable disease acquisition in the healthcare environment
    • current epidemiology
    • vaccines available.
  • Role risk categorisation based on transmission route, severity of disease and worker proximity to clinical areas, patients and their blood and body fluids.
  • Guidance on acceptable vaccine preventable disease evidence requirements, and minimum requirements to start work.
  • Compliance and monitoring activities.

The primary objectives of this guideline are to:

  1. Protect workers in healthcare settings from vaccine-preventable diseases by ensuring they are appropriately vaccinated or not susceptible based on their risk of exposure.
  2. Minimise transmission risks to vulnerable patients and the broader community by reducing the likelihood of healthcare associated infections.
  3. Standardise vaccination requirements across different categories of workers in healthcare settings, including employees, contractors, students, and volunteers.

Vaccine preventable disease requirements factsheets

Prospective employees and line managers

Volunteers

Contractors and contract providers

Students and education providers

Implementation

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare's National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards requires all facilities to have a risk-based workforce vaccine preventable diseases screening and immunisation policy and program. Workplace operators are obligated to protect their workers and those who enter their premises from injury, including foreseeable injury that is caused by vaccine preventable diseases.

Vaccination program resources

Strategies for successful workplace vaccination campaigns

Campaigns that are multi-modal and combine education, improved access, reminders, and policy measures tend to report the largest improvement in vaccination uptake.1,2 Implementing any of the following strategies will improve vaccination uptake compared to no action.1,2 Campaign elements may include:

  • Education and information: for example, social media campaigns, training sessions, informational materials, reminders about vaccine benefits and safety.
  • Convenience and access: for example, on-site clinics, flexible scheduling, mobile or pop-up vaccination services.
  • Policy requirements: institutional requirements or strong occupational policies to increase coverage.
  • Incentives and social norms: for example, incentives and rewards, peer champions, leadership role modelling and endorsement to shift attitudes and behaviour.
  • Reminders and prompts: for example, electronic or paper reminders, manager prompts, and system-level nudges to prompt action.1,2

Evidence statement

This page is informed by the Vaccination of workers in healthcare settings guideline and provides recommendations regarding best practice to support Hospital and Health Services and Queensland Health in the development and implementation of a workforce vaccination program that aligns with national guidelines and Queensland Health policy and guidelines. The guideline is a referenced document, though it should be noted that the Australian Immunisation Handbook is the primary source.

  1. de Koning R, Gonzalez Utrilla M, Spanaus E, Moore M, Lomazzi M. Strategies used to improve vaccine uptake among healthcare providers: A systematic review. Vaccine X [Internet]. 2024 Aug 1 [cited 2025 Oct 30];19:100519. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590136224000925
  2. Bertrand SF, Kok G, Mafi A, Ruiter RAC, ten Hoor GA. Interventions targeting healthcare worker influenza vaccination: A systematic review. Hum Vaccines Immunother [Internet]. 2025 Dec 31 [cited 2025 Oct 30];21(1):2508564. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2508564

Queensland Health policy and Directives

Last updated: 18 November 2025