Occupational Assessment, Screening & Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases
Students | Other clinical personnel including locums | New recruits | Existing health service staffREQUIREMENTS UNDER THIS POLICY DIRECTIVE
The following sections describe the requirements for individuals and the procedures to be followed by agencies, educational institutions and health facilities in fulfilling the requirements of NSW Health Policy Directive PD2011_005 Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination against specified infectious diseases.
Students
Students must:
- Provide evidence of protection against the infectious diseases specified in PD2011_005 and comply with the requirements of PD2011_005 at their own cost, prior to attending placement in a health facility; and
- Submit a Form 2: TB Assessment Tool and Form 3: Student Undertaking/Declaration to their educational institutions as soon as possible after enrolment.
Educational institutions must:
- Inform all students of the requirements of PD2011_005.
- Ensure that all students have completed and returned to the educational institution a Form 2 and Form 3.
- Forward a completed Form 2 and Form 3 for each student to the health facility.
- Ensure that students are not referred to a health facility for placement if they have not returned a completed Form 2 and Form 3.
The health facility must:
- Assess the student's evidence of protection and whether TB screening is required.
- Issue a Certificate of Compliance if the student complies fully with the requirements of PD2011_005.
Information kit/forms for students click here.
Other clinical personnel including locums
Other clinical personnel, including locums, must:
- Provide evidence of protection against the infectious diseases specified in PD2011_005 and comply with the requirements of PD2011_005 at their own cost, prior to appointment; and
- Submit a Form 1: New Recruit Undertaking/Declaration and Form 2: TB Assessment Tool to the health facility.
The locum recruitment agency must:
- Inform all locum personnel of the requirements of PD2011_005.
- Ensure that all locum clinical personnel have completed each section of Form 1 and Form 2 and have evidence of protection against the specified diseases.
- Ensure that locum clinical personnel are not referred to a health facility if they do not comply with the requirements of PD2011_005.
The health facility must:
- Assess the individual's evidence of protection and whether TB screening is required.
- Issue a Certificate of Compliance if the individual complies fully with the requirements of PD2011_005.
Information kit/forms for other clinical personnel click here.
New recruits
New recruits must:
- Provide evidence of protection against the infectious diseases specified in PD2011_005 and comply with the requirements of PD2011_005 at their own cost, prior to appointment; and
- Submit a Form 1: New Recruit Undertaking/Declaration and Form 2: TB Assessment Tool to the health facility.
The health facility must:
- Ensure that all job advertisements advise potential applicants of the requirements of PD2011_005 and that all position descriptions include the designated risk category of the position.
- Assess the individual's evidence of protection and whether TB screening is required.
- Issue a Certificate of Compliance if the individual complies fully with the requirements of PD2011_005.
- Manage exceptional circumstances, where they arise, such as persons with medical contraindications or vaccine non-responders.
- Ensure that new recruits are not accepted for appointment if they do not comply with the requirements of PD2011_005.
Information kit/forms for new recruits click here.
Existing health service staff
Existing staff must:
- Comply with the requirements of PD2011_005; or
- Submit a written declination (Note: only existing staff may use this form):
- stating that they do not consent to the assessment, screening and vaccination requirements of the policy directive;
- stating that they are aware of the potential risks to themselves and/or others; and
- stating that they are aware that their employer will be required to manage them as unprotected or unscreened as described in PD2011_005 Section 3.7 Reassignment of Unprotected/Unscreened Staff.
The health facility must:
- Inform existing staff of the requirements of PD2011_005.
- Categorise the risk of personnel acquiring and/or transmitting the specified infectious diseases.
- Obtain individual consent to the assessment and, where appropriate, screening and vaccination processes.
- Assess the individual's evidence of protection and whether TB screening is required.
- Vaccinate existing staff and volunteers at no cost to the individual.
- Issue a Certificate of Compliance if the individual complies fully with the requirements of PD2011_005.
- Manage exceptional circumstances, where they arise, such as persons with medical contraindications or vaccine non-responders.
- Manage unprotected existing staff who decline to participate in the assessment, screening and vaccination process.
Information kit for existing health service personnel click here.
