Vaccine preventable disease screening for contractors, students and volunteers

Directive number: QH-HSD-047

Effective date: 14 November 2025

Review date: 14 November 2028

Supersedes: Version 3

On this page:

Purpose

The purpose of this health service directive is to specify the mandatory vaccine preventable disease (VPD) screening requirements for Contractors, Students and Volunteers.

Scope

This directive applies to all Hospital and Health Services (HHSs).

Principles

  • Patient and staff safety: ensuring that workers, including Contractors, Volunteers, and Students, are protected against vaccine preventable diseases to reduce the risk of acquisition or transmission of VPDs.
  • Consistency: aligning with the recommendations in The Australian Immunisation Handbook as updated from time to time.
  • Due care and diligence: ensuring the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) and Public Health Act 2005 (Qld) are met.
  • Handling of personal information: ensuring that any personal information of workers, including Contractors, Volunteers, and Students, is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld), Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld) and other legislative provisions when applying this directive.

Outcomes

HHSs included in the scope of this directive shall achieve the following outcome:

  • a consistent approach to VPD screening for Contractors, Students, and Volunteers across the HHS.

Mandatory requirements

  • HHSs must comply with the requirements set out in the Health Service Directive Protocol: Vaccine preventable disease screening for Contractors, Students, and Volunteers as in force from time to time.

Compliance

Compliance with this directive will be determined via the following reporting:

  • HHSs will provide Queensland Health with a report about the use of the verified supply shortage exemption, including the reliance of an exemption period for a verified supply shortage, if requested.
  • HHSs will provide Queensland Health with a report regarding the number of, and the reason for,  exceptional circumstances exemptions sought and/or approved, if requested.
  • HHSs will provide Queensland Health with a report regarding compliance by Volunteer(s) or Contractor(s) with the VPD screening conditions of engagement, if requested.

Human Rights

This directive may limit the following rights of Contractors, Students, and/or Volunteers:

  • Recognition and equality before the law (s 15)
  • Protection from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (including the right not to be subjected to medical treatment without consent) (s 17)
  • Freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief (s 20)
  • Taking part in public life (s 23)
  • Privacy and reputation (s 25)
  • Right to education (s 36)

However, any limitation of rights is demonstrably justifiable as the requirements of this directive are appropriate to minimise risk of the transmission of VPDs to persons in a HHS, which includes vulnerable cohorts.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander considerations

Some vaccines have different recommendations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There are additional vaccination recommendations for healthcare workers who work in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Please refer information detailed in The Australian Immunisation Handbook.

Supporting documents

Business area contact

  • Queensland Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Communicable Diseases Branch, Population Health: qipcu@health.qld.gov.au

Approval and implementation

Directive Custodian

Dr Heidi Carroll

Executive Director, Communicable Diseases Branch

Approval by Chief Executive

Director-General, Queensland Health

Approval date:

14 November 2025

Issued under section 47 of the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Qld).

Review

This Health Service Directive will be reviewed at least every three years.

Next review due by: 14 November 2028

Definitions of terms used in this directive

Term Definition / explanation / detailsSource
Contractor

Contractor means a person engaged directly or indirectly by Queensland Health or a HHS to provide clinical or non-clinical work at a HHS, and includes:

  • Contractors and consultants
  • trade and technical workers
  • workers involved in infrastructure maintenance, construction, or renovation projects
  • locum workers
  • Visiting Medical Officers
  • authorised practitioners of a contracted Visiting Medical Officer
  • external service providers working in a HHS
  • workers engaged under an arrangement with another State or Federal agency, employment agency or workforce labour company (indirect engagement)

but does not include a person:

  • engaged as a health service employee under the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Qld)
  • authorised by law to enter a HHS, such as an inspector under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld).

The health service directive (QH-HSD-047) and protocol (QH-HSDPTL-047-1) will apply to any new Contractors and any Contractor who is currently engaged to perform services within HHS and whose contract is to be renewed or extended.

Queensland Health
Hospital and Health Service

A statutory body established under the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Qld) responsible for the provision of public sector health services for a geographical area, which includes one or more health facilities.

A health facility is a location where health services are provided to HHS patients or consumers and may include mobile premises or the patient’s private residence.

Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Qld)
Queensland HealthQueensland Health means all divisions, branches and units that comprise the organisational structure of the Department of Health, and any successor entity to the divisions, branches and units, as varied from time to time.Queensland Health
Student

Any person who is a Student at a school, university, TAFE, or other secondary or tertiary education provider, undertaking a placement within a hospital and health service, and any person undertaking work placement as part of further training (for example, Australian Defence Force placement), provided that the arrangement is covered by the Placement Deed, or other contractual arrangement.

Queensland Health
Volunteer An individual who supports Hospital and Health Services either through direct contact with patients or other activities without financial gain or reward. Queensland Health

Version control

VersionDate Prepared byComments
1.0 01/07/2016 Communicable Diseases and Infection Management New Document
2.0 01/09/2019 Communicable Diseases and Infection Management Review version. Updated related legislation and related documents. New definition added.
3.0 01/09/2022

Communicable Diseases Branch

 Review version. New template. Updated related legislation and related documents.
4.031/10/2025Queensland Infection Prevention and Control Unit
  • Definition of terms table extensively updated.
  • Obligations regarding handling of personal information added.
  • Removed references to “prospective workers” and replaced with any or all of the following terms “Contractor”, “Student”, “Volunteer” as applicable.
  • Updated name of supporting clinical guideline.

New sections:

- Human Rights Assessment (including updated privacy provisions)

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Considerations

- Compliance

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Last updated: 17 November 2025