WA Pharmacist Vaccination Scope

Pharmacists are authorised to initiate and administer vaccines as per the two Structured Administration Supply Arrangement (SASA) documents issued by the Chief Executive Officer of Health.

• Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists SASA
• COVID-19 Vaccination in Community Pharmacy Program SASA

The Commonwealth government has launched the National Immunisation Program Vaccinations in Pharmacy (NIPVIP) Program which allows eligible patients to access government-funded National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines from participating community pharmacies with no out-of-pocket expenses. Participation in the NIPVIP program is voluntary and pharmacies can choose whether or not to participate.

Pharmacies that choose to participate in the NIPVIP Program cannot charge patients any additional fees for the administration of NIP vaccines.

When claiming vaccination under the NIPVIP program, as per the NIPVIP Program Rules, pharmacists are required to obtain additional patient consent which relates to collection, release and storage of patient’s personal information, and is additional to the consent to receive the vaccine. These consent forms must be stored for a period of 7 years for audit purposes.

Vaccinations administered under the NIPVIP program must be administered at the pharmacy premises or in an aged care or a disability facility.

Where a patient is not eligible for a government-funded NIP vaccine as per the WA Immunisation Schedule, pharmacies may administer privately purchased vaccines and charge the patient for the vaccine plus an administration fee.

Pharmacies should advise patients of any fees prior to administration of vaccines.

Vaccines must be administered in line with the Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists SASA  according to the Australian Immunisation Handbook and the WA Immunisation Schedule.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The NIPVIP program does not include State-funded vaccines identified with an asterisk (*) in the WA Immunisation Schedule.

Pharmacists cannot charge eligible patients for the cost of State-funded vaccines but should charge patients an administration fee as this fee is not claimable under the NIPVIP Program. Patients should be advised of any fees prior to administration of vaccines

Pharmacies that choose not to participate in the NIPVIP Program can administer NIP vaccines to eligible patients and charge the patients a fee to administer the vaccines.

Pharmacies must not charge for the NIP vaccine itself and should advise patients of any administration fees prior to providing the service.

NIP eligible patients should be advised that free vaccination services may be available through other vaccination providers.

Where a patient is not eligible for a government-funded NIP vaccine as per the WA Immunisation Schedule, pharmacies may administer privately purchased vaccines and charge the patient for the vaccine plus an administration fee.

Vaccines must be administered in line with the Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists SASA  according to the Australian Immunisation Handbook and the WA Immunisation Schedule.

Selective pharmacy participation is not permitted.

A pharmacy cannot choose to claim payment under the NIPVIP Program for administration of some eligible NIP vaccines and charge the patient an administration fee for other eligible NIP vaccines.

NIPVIP Program FAQs have been developed and are available on the Pharmacy Programs Administrator (PPA) website to assist pharmacies wishing to participate in the program.

Every year, the Australian Government publishes the latest advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) in relation to the Administration of Seasonal Influenza Vaccines.

Pharmacist immunisers should familiarise themselves with the current ATAGI advice.

See ATAGI advice

Patients may be eligible for Influenza Vaccination under the:

• National Immunisation Program (NIP)
• State Program
• Privately
• Free Flu State Program if available

The National Immunisation Program (NIP) is an established collaborative program involving the Australian Government along with State and Territory Governments.

NIP funded vaccines will continue to be provided through WA community pharmacies.

Pharmacies wishing to order government-funded vaccine stock are required to have a Onelink Vaccine Ordering account.

Stock transfers of government-funded vaccines can be considered and needs to be reported to the WA Department of Health. Pharmacies should only transfer to another pharmacy where they already have a registered Onelink account and must follow the Strive for 5 guidelines when transporting the vaccines.

Pharmacies must email the department at vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au and provide the following information.

• The sending and receiving pharmacy names
• The vaccine brand, batch number/s and the number of vaccines being transferred

It is mandatory for all vaccinations to be recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

Pharmacist immunisers should access the AIR to view the patient's immunisation history prior to administration of any vaccines to ensure appropriateness of vaccination.

Vaccines must be stored and managed in cold-chain as per the National Vaccine Storage Guidelines Strive for 5 and WA Health cold chain management requirements.

A cold chain breach occurs when the vaccine is exposed to temperatures outside the recommended range or exposure to light after it has been removed from the packet and the glass vaccine fridge door allows light to penetrate.

In such instances a cold chain breach protocol must be followed and reported.

Please note that COVID-19 Vaccine breaches and wastage are reported to the Vaccines Operations Centre (VOC).

Any unwanted or unexpected events following vaccine administration, AEFIs, must be reported to the WA Vaccine Safety Surveillance (WAVSS) via SAFEVAC.

The Approved Training requirements in the Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists SASA have been updated to allow approved pharmacist immunisers (have successfully completed an approved immunisation course) to complete self-directed learning to acquire competency relating to the vaccines being administered, including referencing the Australian Immunisation Handbook.

As per the COVID-19 vaccination SASA, approved pharmacist immunisers must complete COVID-19 vaccination training before they can administer COVID-19 vaccines.

SA Health provide a COVID-19 Immunisation Training course which is recognised and approved under the SASA.

Optional immunisation online training modules are available for completion in the GuildEd learning platform for pharmacists who prefer structured training.

It is important to note that GuildEd has changed,  and pharmacists are required to join the Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP) to continue accessing GuildEd.

Steps for accessing the GuildEd Immunisation modules:

• Log into the pharmacist GuildEd account
• Select Browse Courses by Category in the top navigation bar
• Select Immunisation Modules

Pharmacist immunisers are required to maintain currency of their:

• CPR Certificate (12 months expiry)
• First Aid Certificate  (3 years expiry)
• ASCIA Anaphylaxis Certificate (12 months expiry)
• Annual Immunisation Update Online Module (12 months expiry)
• Influenza Module (12 months expiry)

Further information is available on our Annual Updates for Pharmacist Immunisers webpage.