Authorised Nurse Immunisers
Practice Nurses as immunisers is often a hot topic. So GPNSW posed the question to NSW Health of where and when can registered and authorised nurse immunisers immunise patients?
Some practice nurses have asked whether it is appropriate for a registered nurse (who is not an authorised nurse immuniser) to provide an influenza vaccination under a doctor’s order in an external workplace without a doctor’s supervision. Below is the response from NSW Health:

“An unauthorised nurse, acting alone (outside of the employing doctor’s direct supervision) may well be in breach of Section 10(3) of the Act. The doctor concerned, may also be professionally liable if a complaint of professional misconduct was made.

However, if the unauthorised nurse is administering the restricted substance (vaccine) to a patient on the prescription of a doctor, then this is allowable under the provisions of Section 10 (4) (c1) of the Act.

A prescription, by definition, must include the name and address of the patient, the name and address of the doctor, the telephone number of the doctor, the name of the restricted substance, the quantity, adequate directions for use, etc, as required under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008. A list of patients, as described, cannot be interpreted to be a prescription.”

In summary
If the doctor is on site and a nurse (who is not an authorised nurse immuniser) is administering under the doctor’s direct supervision, then this is acceptable. If the nurse is on site, away from the supervising doctor, and is simply administering a vaccine on a list prepared by a third party, signed by the doctor, then this would be in breach of the Act. If the nurse is on site, away from the supervising doctor, and is administering a vaccine on individual prescriptions issued by the doctor in the name of individual patients, then this is acceptable.