Immunisation for the Protection of Healthcare Staff

The Department of Health’s ImmunisationAgainst Infectious Disease (‘The Green Book’) advises on immunisations for the protection of staff as follows.

  • Staff involved in clinical procedures or who may have direct contact with patients’ blood or blood-stained body fluids, including those at risk of injury from blood-contaminated sharps, must be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
  • All healthcare workers who have regular clinical contact with patients and who are directly involved in patient care should be up to date with their routine immunisations, i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
  • For non-clinical staff, routine immunisations as above are recommended.
  • For staff who may have close contact with infected patients, immunisation against tuberculosis (TB) is recommended.

To register with the GDC, dental professionals must be immunised against hepatitis B and tuberculosis.

Recommendations for routine immunisation can vary over time and in different locations. Advice from the local Health Board or Occupational Health Service (OHS) should be sought. Hepatitis B vaccination and post-vaccination testing of immune response can be arranged through an OH health service such as Salus or via a General Practitioner (GP). Employers must keep confidential records of the hepatitis B immunisation status of all relevant members of staff.

Obtain the latest advice on immunisation requirements from your local Health Board or OHS, including the level of anti-hepatitis B antibodies required (as this can vary in different regions) and advice on non-responders.

Ensure all clinical staff and others who may have contact with patients’ blood and blood-stained body fluids (e.g. staff involved in instrument decontamination) are vaccinated against hepatitis B.

To request evidence of an employee’s immune status, first obtain consent from the employee to approach their GP or the OHS.

Keep a confidential record of the hepatitis B immunisation status of all relevant staff.

Notify the local OHS about the hepatitis B status of all relevant staff so that the correct advice can be given if a needlestick or contamination incident is reported to the OHS on-call service.

Document the practice’s policy on immunisation and ensure that staff are aware of it (see Immunisation and Health Clearance Policy template).