Immunisation Community of Practice

To provide support to organisations to deliver COVID-19 vaccination services including boosters to vulnerable populations, the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (the PHN) has community grants available for eligible activities.

To support the Government’s COVID-19 response, innovative, local, short-term COVID-19 vaccination activities and strategies are being implemented. These targeted, short-term activities aim to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccination among vulnerable populations who cannot access or have difficulty accessing the vaccine through existing mechanisms.

The community grant round will be accessible via the PHN grants portal SmartyGrants with funding available of between $10 000 ex GST and $250 000 ex GST.  

To learn more, please access:

COVID-19 Vulnerable Populations Vaccination Community Grants 2023 - Primary Health Network (thephn.com.au)

In addition, the PHN is funding 55 scholarships for eligible Registered Nurses and Aboriginal Medical Practitioners to complete the Australian College of Nurses “Immunisation for Health Practitioners Course (307)”, to sustainably strengthen the HNECC workforce. For more information, please refer to:

COVID-19 Vulnerable Populations Vaccination Immunisation Scholarships 2023 - EOI - Primary Health Network (thephn.com.au)

In 2023 there will be changes to the National Immunisation Program including a new listing of Vaxelis® vaccine as an alternative DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib vaccine for children at 2, 4 and 6 months of age (effective from 1 July 2023) and Shingrix® vaccine for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) and post-herpetic neuralgia to replace Zostavax® (pending regulatory approvals) (effective from 1 November 2023).

The Australian Government will publish an updated NIP Schedule and a news item containing this advice on the Department of Health’s website on 1 July 2023. Providers can also get the latest NIP updates by subscribing to the email list.

Individuals who aren’t enrolled in Medicare or don’t have an Individual Healthcare Identifier can have their vaccinations recorded directly onto the AIR site using software, or an official AIR form and uploading it via HPOS.

Using the AIR site

Check if a record already exists

To prevent a duplicate record from being created, you can search the AIR for an existing record by entering the surname, first name and date of birth of the individual. The AIR will display the individual’s details if a record exists, and a new encounter can then be recorded. If you can’t find a unique match, conduct another search and also include the individual’s postcode.

Create a new record if one doesn’t already exist

If there isn’t a match after conducting a thorough search, a new record can be created by following the instructions: Create a new record using the AIR site.

Important: You will need to record a vaccination to create a new record.

Using software

Some software will transmit vaccination encounters for non-Medicare individuals to the AIR. Your software developer can provide further advice about this process.

Using a form uploaded via Health Professional Online Services (HPOS)

Providers without access to the AIR Site or software can record vaccination details using an official AIR form uploaded via HPOS.

Important: It can take up to 14 days to update an individual’s AIR record when a vaccination encounter is submitted using a form.

Where providers have difficulty submitting a vaccination encounter for non-Medicare individuals, they should contact AIR on 1800 653 809.

Under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 (AIR Act), it is mandatory to report all influenza, COVID-19, National Immunisation Program vaccines and Japanese encephalitis virus vaccines to the AIR. Further information about the Australian Immunisation Register is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Download this easy-to-read chart which outlines the process for updating vaccination data already submitted to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) site. Vaccination providers should promptly amend any incorrect encounters using the AIR site or their practice management software's update function to avoid delays and ensure accurate immunisation history, using the same provider number as the original vaccination reported.

NCIRS have updated their community pharmacy resources regarding the vaccines available in each State and Territory in pharmacy by which vaccine/age. https://www.ncirs.org.au/public/vaccination-community-pharmacy

Updates have recently been made to the Handbook. These include updated influenza vaccination guidance in the context of COVID-19 vaccination; interim recommendations for extended valency conjugate pneumococcal vaccines (Vaxneuvance [15vPCV] and Prevenar 20 [20vPCV]) in adults and for people who are immunocompromised; and updates to reflect additions of 20vPCV in the table Vaccination for women who are planning pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding. A summary of these updates is available on the AIH website.

The PHN has developed a 2023 Vaccine Strategy to support vaccine providers to deliver safe and effective immunisation programs for people living within our region. As we continue to move our focus to business as usual, this guide will assist you to identify vulnerable people and provide ideas for increasing routine vaccinations. Please see the strategy in the "Documents" section in the Immunisation CoP.

World Immunisation Week 2023 is from 24th to 30th April with the theme of “The Big Catch-up.” This week provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of immunisation in protecting individuals and communities against vaccine preventable diseases.

The campaign "The Big Catch-up" is crucial as it arrives at a pivotal moment for immunisation. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global immunisation efforts, resulting in a backlog of missed vaccinations worldwide. Therefore, it is imperative to address this issue by improving immunisation services, closing the gap and reaching out to millions of individuals who have been deprived of the life-saving benefits of vaccines.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) 2023 campaign aims to address this backlog and promote global effort to vaccinate millions of children and restore vaccination levels to pre-pandemic standards.

The Australian Government has launched the ‘One more way you keep them safe’ campaign. The campaign highlights the importance of vaccinating children to protect them from serious diseases.

Australia has a strong National Immunisation Program (NIP) with high rates of childhood vaccination. However, recent data shows that routine childhood immunisation coverage rates have declined over the past two years.

Skipping or delaying vaccinations puts children and those around them at risk of catching serious diseases.

For the best protection, it’s important that children receive their free routine vaccines:

• in line with the NIP schedule
• on time, every time.

The campaign also encourages parents to:

• seek out reliable information about vaccination
• speak to trusted health professional about their child’s immunisations.

Learn more about the campaign, and access the resources at health.gov.au/childhoodimmunisation

Do I need to aspirate the syringe prior to administering a vaccine?

Current research suggests that there is no need to aspirate the syringe prior to vaccine administration. Please refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook for further information.