The Controlled Substances (Poisons) Regulation 2011, sub regulation 18(3) provides authorisation for a registered health practitioner determined by the Minister, to administer vaccine without a medical order. The authorisation is conditional to the administration being in accordance with the Vaccine Administration Code (PDF 359KB).
To meet the requirements of the legislation a vaccine must be administered by:
a class of health practitioner approved by the Minister, and
the health practitioner must have successfully completed an approved immunisation education program, and
the vaccine is administered by a health practitioner working for an organisation that is approved by the Minister, and
the vaccine is administered as part of a specified immunisation program.
Approved health practitioners
The Code applies to registered nurses, midwives, pharmacists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners (ATSIHP) who have successfully completed an Approved immunisation education program.
Specified immunisation programs for the purpose of the Vaccine Administration Code are as follows.
National Immunisation Program, including the current South Australian National Immunisation Program (NIP) and Annual Influenza Program schedules
South Australian Meningococcal B Immunisation Program
South Australian High Risk Hepatitis B Immunisation Program
Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) Vaccination Program which is defined as an approved health provider administering an available Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine as per the SA Health website at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/JEVvaccine.
Pharmacy Vaccination Program. A Pharmacy Vaccination Program is defined as an approved health practitioner, working for an organisation that is approved by the Minister under a pharmacy approval, who is administering vaccines to the eligible cohorts, as below.
Vaccine administration for the specified immunisation programs must be in accordance with the current recommendations as published in the online Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Vaccines cannot be administered for the purposes of travel or for the management of a tetanus prone wound.
Vaccines cannot be administered under the Code if they are not administered as part of a specified program as listed above.
Government funded vaccines
From 5 years of age
Influenza vaccine
Japanese encephalitis vaccine
COVID-19 vaccine
Privately funded vaccines
From 10 years of age
Measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (in combination)
Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus vaccine (adult formulation in combination)
Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, inactivated polio vaccine (adult formulation in combination)
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