Overview

A two-day Immunisation Training Course for Healthcare Support Workers/Healthcare Assistants (HCSWs/HCAs).

This foundation course follows the guidelines of the National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Vaccination Training (2025). It includes flu, pneumococcal, shingles vaccination and intranasal (spray) influenza for children (2-17 years).

The course also includes administering B12 injections. Participants will be given advice in gaining clinical competence within their own workplace.For nurses, doctors and allied professionals working in a primary care setting who need to develop and enhance their head to toe assessment skills of a presenting child (not neonates).

The 2-day programme will cover common presentations, why children are different and the process of exclusion in making diagnosis as children often present with non-specific symptoms with both serious and non-serious illness.

Content

• Infectious diseases and the immune system
• Seasonal influenza, pneumococcal disease and shingles
• Pandemic influenza, swine flu and avian flu
• Viruses and bacteria
• How antivirals, antibiotics and vaccines work
• How vaccines provide individual and herd immunity
• Pernicious anaemia and how vitamin B12 injections work
• At risk groups and their eligibility for vaccines
• Communication: what advice to give to patients and families
• Administration of vaccines and injections
• Side effects, contraindications and precautions
• The anatomy of injection site
• Correct administration techniques for intramuscular, subcutaneous and intranasal vaccination
• Practical injection sessions
• Storage and handling of vaccine and correct waste disposal
• Allergy, anaphylaxis and adverse events
• Anaphylaxis management and the requirement for BLS training
• Legal, professional and indemnity requirements regarding administration of prescription only medications by HCSWs
• Legal requirements regarding consent, documentation and confidentiality
• Competence: assessment, supervised practice and delegation

Aims & Outcomes

• Commence development of practice that fully adheres to the aims, principles and practice of the influenza, shingles and pneumococcal vaccination programmes
• Commence development of practice that fully adheres to quality and safety related to vaccination and injections
• Commence development of practice that fully adheres to the law relating to vaccination and injections