Aged care immunisation under the Strengthened Standards (2025)

Since 1 November 2025, residential aged care providers in Australia have been operating under the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Two of the seven standards directly raise the bar for immunisation practice: Standard 4 (The Environment) on infection prevention and control, and Standard 5 (Clinical Care) on preventing and controlling infections in clinical service delivery.

What the strengthened standards require

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission expects providers to:

• Run a documented immunisation system, covering residents, workers and visitors, with a risk-based screening approach for vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Identify a qualified IPC lead with delegated responsibility for the immunisation program and outbreak response.
• Collect and analyse immunisation data, including coverage rates and refusals, to inform continuous improvement and risk assessment.
• Apply standard and transmission-based precautions appropriate for the setting.
• Maintain documentation ready for unannounced assessments, consent forms, cold-chain logs, batch numbers, AIR submissions, and post-clinic reports.

The core resident vaccines

For most residents, the core annual programme covers influenza, COVID-19 boosters per ATAGI advice, pneumococcal vaccination (NIP-funded for those aged 70 and over), shingles vaccination (NIP-funded for those aged 65 and over), and a whooping cough booster (dTpa) where clinically indicated. Live vaccines may be contraindicated for some residents, pre-vaccination screening picks this up.

The workforce piece

Influenza vaccination remains a mandatory annual requirement for staff in most residential aged care settings, and documenting visitor immunisation status is increasingly expected during outbreak season. Providers should plan early, late autumn clinics fill quickly across Melbourne.

What a good external provider delivers

If you outsource the clinic delivery, look for a provider that supplies a complete compliance pack after every visit:

• Resident-level consent forms and pre-vaccination screening records
• Cold-chain log for every vaccine vial transported
• Vaccine type, batch number, dose number, and site of administration per resident
• Confirmation of AIR submission within 24 hours
• Summary report including refusals, deferrals and follow-up plans
• 15-minute post-vaccination observation log

These documents are exactly what an ACQSC assessor will ask for. Pharmacy-led clinics, like ours, are well-placed to deliver them because the pharmacy already operates within its own quality-management framework and is bound by equivalent record-keeping standards.

How we help

If you’re reviewing your annual programme, visit our aged care services page or get in touch for a tailored quote. We schedule clinics across Melbourne’s western suburbs and provide the compliance pack you can hand directly to your assessor.