Immunisation – Pharmacists

Pharmacist immunisers in NSW can administer a range of vaccines as outlined in the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards.

NSW Health wish to inform pharmacist immunisers that the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards (the Standards) have been updated as of May 2025 with the following key changes in the respective sections of the Standards:

Section A: Approval vaccines and vaccination schedules

• Lowering of the age limit for the administration of influenza vaccines to people aged 2 years and over. Please note that the National Immunisation Program Vaccinations in Pharmacy (NIPVIP) program currently only funds participating pharmacies for vaccines administered to individuals 5 years and over. Therefore, community pharmacies may charge administration/consultation fee for influenza vaccination for children aged 2 years to less than 5 years.
• Addition of clinical advice on Japanese Encephalitis vaccine i.e. Imojev is contraindicated in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals in accordance with the Australian Immunisation Handbook.

Section D: Administration area and equipment

• Inclusion of the requirement for a continuous temperature data logger programmed to alarm when a temperature of the purpose-built vaccine refrigerator outside the +2°C to +8°C range is recorded.
• Inclusion of the requirement for equipment and effective cold chain management protocol in place in preparedness for power outage/refrigerator failure and offsite/outreach immunisation clinics in accordance with the National Vaccine Storage Guidelines, Strive for 5.
• Change of terms and addition of definition and rationale for requirements for ‘immunisation room/area’.
• Amendments regarding temporary immunisation room/areas
• Amendments to remove the requirement for a first aid couch in an immunisation room/area, provided there is sufficient space for the patient to lie down when necessary and sufficient space to perform first aid treatment and CPR procedures where required.

Section E: Vaccine storage and transport

• Addition of this new section to support adherence to the National Vaccine Storage Guidelines, Strive for 5 for storing and transporting vaccines in community pharmacy and off-site/outreach immunisation settings.
• Inclusion of advice regarding retaining vaccine fridge temperature records, handling expired vaccines and vaccines exposed to light and/or cold chain breaches.

Section F: Patient consent, eligibility and records 

• Inclusion of the requirement to submit pregnancy status onto the AIR as appropriate.

Section G: Post vaccination care

• Inclusion of a new section for vaccine administration errors.

NCIRS regularly updates their document ‘Vaccines from community pharmacy’ which provides a summary of vaccines that can be administered by pharmacists, by antigens, age groups, states and funding (NIP or Private). NSW health also provides a vaccine eligibility table for pharmacists in NSW.

Legislation

NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards – (Last updated May 2025)

NSW Authority – Supply of vaccines by pharmacists – (Last updated December 2024)

NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation (2008)

Pharmacist initiation and administration of vaccines

NIPVIP 

Pharmacist immunisers are eligible to receive a Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) payment of $19.32 for each National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccine that they administer in a pharmacy setting or off-site in residential aged care and disability homes to patients who fit the criteria listed in this

Any pharmacy in NSW that wishes to access NIP vaccines and does not have a vaccine account with the State Vaccine Centre (SVC) will need to register for a Vaccine Account Number (VAN).

Further information about the NIPVIP can be found on the Pharmacy Programs Administrator and NSW Health webpages.

CVCP – COVID-19 vaccination

Pharmacists can register to administer COVID vaccinations both in pharmacy and off-site to patients who are house-bound or living in a Residential Aged Care Home. Please refer to the PPA portal for more details relating to CVCP program, including both initial registration and continued participation in the program.

• CVCP program rules
• COVID-19 vaccine FAQs for Pharmacists – NSW Health
• For non-Medicare patients: use special Medicare number (25437529911) for claiming in PPA portal

Applying for a Vaccine Account Number (VAN) from the State Vaccine Centre

To order NIP vaccines, pharmacies must first have a Vaccine Account Number (VAN) from the State Vaccine Centre. See the comprehensive CESPHN VAN toolkit for assistance on how to complete your application.

1. Register by visiting the NSW Vaccine centre online ordering system and following the prompts.
2. Forms to complete:
   • Complete IM004 AIR provider number form (select Provider type: Pharmacy) and email to MOH-vaccreports@health.nsw.gov.au​  – this is to register your pharmacy as a vaccination provider with the AIR
   • Complete NSW Health Pharmacist Immuniser declaration form and email to MOH-vaccreports@health.nsw.gov.au​ – this is supporting documentation to register a pharmacy as a vaccination provider with the AIR
   • Register for an Organisation PRODA account for your pharmacy – this allows organisation access to the online AIR site
   • Register for an Individual PRODA account for pharmacists – delegate AIR access from Organisation PRODA to allow individual pharmacists to access to the online AIR site
   • Complete HW027 provider agreement form and upload form in HPOS – this is to to register the pharmacy for online payments and claiming with Services Australia
3. Pharmacist immunisers must also ensure they meet all requirements listed in the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards

If you previously applied for a VAN and you have not received advice from the State Vaccine Centre, please call 1300 656 132.

For further support, see the PRODA/AIR page

All vaccines administered by a pharmacist must be recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) as per the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination standards.

Registering for AIR access

• Infographic: Register for AIR access

Prior to applying for a VAN, you must apply for an AIR provider number (via IM004 form). In NSW, the NSW pharmacist declaration form and sent to MOH-VaccReports@health.nsw.gov.au

Once your application to register your pharmacy as an AIR vaccination provider is approved, you will be sent two letters in the mail, one containing the details of your AIR provider number and the second containing your AIR linking code. To access AIR via your professional services software, the AIR provider number also needs to be inputted into the software.

You will then need to link your organisation PRODA to AIR and then link the pharmacist PRODA to the organisation PRODA. Please see below information on how to do this:

• FULL steps to set up access to the AIR for your medical practice, pharmacy or organisation
• AIR: Application to register as a vaccination provider form (IM004)
• NSW Pharmacist Declaration Form

Accessing the AIR

• Infographic: Connecting Pharmacies to the AIR
• Infographic: Accessing the AIR site for the first time as a member of a pharmacy or an organisation
• For any technical issues, please contact AIR help desk: 1300 650 039

Mandatory reporting to the AIR

• Mandatory reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register has been passed through the Australian Parliament in Feb 2020. See: Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020.
• COVID-19 vaccines, once approved for use and administered in Australia must be reported to the AIR.
• Influenza vaccinations must be reported to the AIR from 1 March 2021.
• All other NIP vaccinations must be reported from 1 July 2021.

Failing to report to the AIR will result in civil penalty of “30 penalty units“, which equates to a fine of $6,660 according to the Crimes Act 1914. See Fines for Commonwealth offences

• Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020
• Email: MOH-PharmaceuticalServices@health.nsw.gov.au

Uploading records to the AIR

• MedAdvisor – How to record immunisations and upload to AIR
• GuildNG – How to submit vaccination records to the AIR

See Steps to record vaccination services to AIR via GuildCareNG and MedAdvisor PlusOne

Generating AIR reports

• Infographic: How to generate AIR reports in pharmacy

Immuniser training: The pharmacist immuniser must complete a training course conducted by an Australian Pharmacy Council accredited pharmacy education program provider, that complies with the ‘Standards for the Accreditation of Programs to Support Pharmacist Administration of Vaccines’ (current version). The pharmacist immuniser must hold a certificate confirming competency to vaccinate following completion of an accredited training program for all authorised vaccines that they intend to administer.

COVID-19 vaccine training: In addition to the above requirements, to supply and administer COVID-19 vaccines, a pharmacist immuniser must also have read the ATAGI guidance on the use of multi-dose vials for COVID-19 vaccination and reviewed the NSW Health guidance on management of COVID-19 vaccines for each specific COVID-19 vaccine type to be administered.

JE vaccine training: In addition to the above requirements, to supply and administer any Japanese encephalitis vaccine, a pharmacist immuniser must also successfully complete the Japanese encephalitis vaccine training: Japanese encephalitis – A learning resource for immunisation providers.

CPR training: The pharmacist immuniser must hold a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate issued within the last 12 months. If the pharmacist is administering vaccines to people aged less than 14 years of age, the CPR certificate must include paediatric CPR training.

Ongoing education: To maintain authority to immunise, the pharmacist immuniser must annually review best practice policy for immunisation and ensure their competence for each vaccine they administer. This may include, but is not limited to, attendance at seminars on current practices, or formal immunisation update courses.

Intern pharmacist: An intern pharmacist who holds certification to vaccinate is only able to administer specified vaccines under the direct supervision of a pharmacist immuniser who holds certification to vaccinate for the relevant vaccine.

PSA Immunisation Training – Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

Pharmacy Guild Immunisation Course – The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

All CPD relating to Immunisation can be found on our Education page.

Cold Chain Management training

Completion of the NSW Health HETI Cold Chain Management Module is a mandatory requirement for all immunisation providers in NSW. At least 2 staff members must have completed this module. It is strongly recommended that all pharmacists, especially vaccinating pharmacists, complete this training. 

PSA Vaccination Webinars

The PSA held a series of vaccination webinars in 2024 with updates for specific topics around immunisation and recent update. Recordings of those webinars can be found through this link.

Pharmacist Modules

GuildEd and MyPSA contain lots of online CPD modules, including modules relating to immunisation and vaccinations.

Pharmacist Immunisation Newsletter

CESPHN is delighted to announce a new newsletter dedicated to pharmacist immunisers! Here you will find your monthly update on immunisation news relevant to pharmacy.

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