Vaccination Guidelines and Resources

The NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards and Pharmacist Vaccine Authority have been updated in April 2026. Below includes a summary of updates to the Standards and Authority.

Summary of changes in the Standards and Authority:

Addition of the oral typhoid vaccine for individuals aged 6 years and over and the oral cholera vaccinesfor 5 years and over, for supply and/or administration by pharmacist immunisers. This means that NSW pharmacist immunisers are enabled to supply oral typhoid and cholera vaccines for self-administration without a medical prescription.
Addition of the requirements to support supply of the oral typhoid and cholera vaccines by pharmacist immunisers for patient self-administration without a medical prescription in the sections for Patient Consent, Eligibility and Records and Post Vaccination Care of the Standards.
Update to the patient age eligibility for Arexvy to include individuals aged 50 to 59 years old who are at an increased risk of RSV based on the updated indication for use for Arexvy approved by the TGA.
Update to the patient age eligibility for Abrysvo to remove the upper gestational age limit for administration of Abrysvo to pregnant women. This means that pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation onwards are now eligible to receive Abrysvo under the NIP. This vaccination is claimable through the NIPVIP.

Requirements

Removal of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) specific training requirement.
Removal of the requirements for a second trained staff member who has had an up-to-date training in first aid when delivering vaccination service
Addition of 2 requirements under the Section for Administration Area and Equipment of the Standards to support removal of the requirements for a second trained staff member:
- An emergency response protocol including phone access (particularly in rural/remote area) and pre-identified roles and responsibilities during a severe event following immunisation
- Planning for staffing and supervision of patients according to expected patient throughput to ensure safety delivery of care, including maintaining sufficient staff to support required post-vaccination observation periods and ensuring adverse events are responded to promptly and effectively

NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Program – centralised webpage

NSW Health has developed a new webpage for the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Program. This webpage is designed to support NSW pharmacist immunisers by providing a single, centralised resource that brings together information on all aspects of the program in one place.

To access the new webpage click here.

Vaccination Compliance Checklist

With pharmacists now authorised to order NIP RSV vaccines, the Guild would like to remind pharmacies of the importance of maintaining full regulatory compliance in accordance with Strive for 5 and the NSW Pharmacist Vaccination Standards.

Non‑compliance identified by NSW Health may result in regulatory action, including the temporary suspension of a pharmacy’s State Vaccine Centre account, which may limit the pharmacy’s ability to deliver essential vaccination services during the winter period.

To support pharmacies in meeting their professional and regulatory obligations, the Guild has developed a Vaccination Compliance Checklist. This checklist addresses4 key compliance domains recently identified by regulators, including:

Consultation rooms not meeting required standards
Inappropriate vaccine storage practices
Inadequate cold chain monitoring and documentation
Incomplete records of staff training and refrigerator servicing

To access the Vaccination Compliance Checklist, please click here

Resources

Guild Member pharmacies are able to access available resources and templates to deliver professional vaccination services in their community pharmacy. Please log onto your MyGuild account to access these resources.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW Branch
Suite 201, 10 Norbrik Drive, Bella Vista NSW 2153
Tel: 02 9467 7100 | Email:enquiries@nsw.guild.org.au
ABN 87 740 877 429 | RTO 0452

Page last updated on: 30 April 2026