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NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 42

15 APRIL 2004

out in this Schedule 3 (and in particular the obligations of clause 2.1 (t)) and any other terms and conditions in this
Advice Notice relevant to the provision of immunisation services. Immunisation services include, but are not limited to:

Informing parents and vaccinating children

(a) Responsibilities for the delivery of the immunisation programme of each child who is a patient of the general
practitioner from birth to age five;

(b) Advising and informing parents whenever possible about immunisation and vaccine-preventable diseases,
including pre-parental education;

(c) Vaccinating children, as specified in the current Immunisation Schedule (included in the Immunisation Handbook
and amendments notified by the Ministry of Health), or as agreed with the caregiver;

(d) Opportunistic immunisation (including MeNZB™) of children who are not enrolled or registered patients of that
general practitioner and those attending for other reasons who are found to have missed scheduled immunisations;

(e) Encouraging parents/caregivers of children who are either not enrolled or not registered patients to enrol with
primary care and Well Child providers;

(f) Ensuring whenever possible that tuberculosis and hepatitis B prophylaxis are prescribed and given if indicated;

(g) Where appropriate as the lead maternity carer, inform the local immunisation co-ordinator, with the relevant
parental consent, of babies born to mothers who are hepatitis B carriers;

Recall registration, immunisation information and certificates

(h) For any child registered or enrolled with the practice, or for a child neither enrolled nor a registered patient,
obtaining immunisation history at the appropriate time and where available from previous provider, or a
regional/national register, or other immunisation history source (including the Tamariki Ora Well Child Book or
Immunisation Certificate);

(i) Providing parents and caregivers with a schedule of due dates for their child’s immunisation;

(j) Accurately and completely recording immunisation episodes (including the vaccine given, the date of
administration, batch number, expiry date of vaccine and site of administration, vaccinator’s name) in:

• practice records (electronic and/or written);
• the Tamariki Ora Well Child Health Book;
• ensuring the child’s National Health Index (NHI) number and current address are in the practice records;
• ensuring that the NHI number is recorded for each child and young person enrolled on the meningococcal
  B immunisation programme;

(k) transmitting information on immunisation episodes electronically (in an agreed and notified format) to:

• Health Benefits or our nominated agent (this applies to both claiming and non-claiming vaccinators);
• any regional and/or national immunisation data network, provided that the network has met all relevant
  privacy, governance, ethical and iwi considerations (Note: Some practices have exemptions from electronic
  data transfer, but if so will send the same information in hard copy);
• recording all immunisation events in the National Immunisation Register (NIR). This information is to be
  sent to NIR either electronically or manually by you as the vaccinator to the NIR Administrator.
  Information must be submitted according to the format supplied by the NIR and in accordance with
  Appendix 2 of this Schedule.

(l) recording a decision by parents or guardians not to immunise their child or children with MeNZB™ in the NIR.
The decision to decline is either sent to the NIR electronically or manually by you as the vaccinator;

(m) maintaining and making appropriate use of an accurate immunisation recall register, including reminding
parents/caregivers of due dates and recalling those who are delayed or late in attending for vaccinations;

(n) liaison with other providers regarding children who are not registered or enrolled to ensure they are placed on a
recall system;

(o) referring any child (including any child not registered or enrolled with another practice), who is known to be more
than two months overdue for any immunisation event and who has not responded to at least three contacts, to
either an appropriate immunisation outreach, a Well Child service, or the local immunisation co-ordinator;

(p) completing immunisation certificates following the 15-month immunisation episode and the pre-school
immunisation episode when implemented in 2001;

(q) sharing of a child’s vaccination history with other vaccinators subject to appropriate privacy considerations;

(r) informing the usual vaccinator of an immunisation episode within two weeks if the vaccinator is not the usual
vaccinator. (The usual vaccinator for any school-based vaccination programme is the School Health Service.)

Service standards

(s) each general practitioner will meet the immunisation requirements or standards for practitioners and follow the
immunisation guidelines in:

• any standards or guidelines distributed to vaccinators by the Ministry of Health or the Medical Officer of
  Health, or approved by the Ministry of Health (including the Immunisation Standards in the current edition
  of the Immunisation Handbook and any amendments);
• relevant legislation (including Regulations); and
• ensure MeNZB™ is stored, monitored and transported (as required) according to the Vaccine Storage and
  Distribution National Standards IMAC (May 2002).

(t) ensuring vaccinators have received appropriate training and that at least one (and preferably all) of the practice
nurses in a practice has been certified by the Medical Officer of Health as a vaccinator by the end of 18 months
from the date that this amendment comes into effect;

(u) reporting any significant adverse vaccine-associated events to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring;