Firstly, we would like to start by saying thank you for showing your interest in working for our organisation. And before we move on to the OASV material, I'm just going to do a little introduction to Hunter New England. So, if you don't already know, Hunt New England, or HNE as it is commonly known, is a really beautiful place to live. We have an incredibly diverse landscape, including national parks, world-class vineyards, and some of the most stunning beaches you can find down the East Coast. We are also known for our amazing food and culinary scene, as well as world-class surfing, and wind sports for the more adventurous. And of course, we also have our fair share of that famous Australian native wildlife, including of course kangaroos and koalas.
Okay, so many do not realize that Hunter New England actually covers an area of around 131,000 square kilometers, and we are actually approximately the size of England. So, we have just under one million people living in this area, including around 170,000 residents who were born overseas and just over 50,000 people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and they are the First Nations people who first inhabited the land we live and work on.
Hunter New England Local Health District employs just over 16,000 staff and we really pride ourselves on being a culturally diverse, safe, and welcoming place for all persons from all backgrounds.
So, okay, what is the OASV policy? So OASV stands for the Occupational Assessment of Screening and Vaccination and is the New South Wales Health policy that determines the minimum vaccination requirements for all workers. So, this includes not only healthcare staff like doctors and nurses but all the employees who keep our healthcare system running, such as administration officers and hospital assistants. So, these immunisation and screening requirements are based on recommendations from the World Health Organization as well as the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). So, many countries will have similar vaccination and screening requirements for their healthcare staff, however there may be slight differences just due to the differing needs of our populations.
So why is this important? As we know some jobs have a much higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases. As your employer, Hunter New England Health has a responsibility to keep you safe in the workplace, and ensuring adequate immunisation and screening is just one way we can do that. OASV clearance will be given through the District OASV team, which is a small team comprised of experienced nurse immunisers who have been trained in the interpretation of the New South Wales Health policy directive.
So, this form may be familiar to you as it will have been included as part of your OASV package. If you have not seen this form before or don't have the OASV package, please reach out to the contact person for your recruitment.
So, the immunisation and screening evidence checklist is a reference tool to help you know what vaccinations, blood tests, and screening you will be required to provide for OASV clearance. OASV clearance is a mandatory requirement to work with Hunter New England Local Health District. Please be aware that this is only a guide for what is required; it is not an official record of vaccination, nor can it be used as evidence. We recommend you review this carefully. If you don't have these vaccination and screening records, take this along to your GP or occupational or staff health nurse for assistance.
Okay, so first, we are going to start with the dTpa vaccine, which stands for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis acellular, and this is commonly referred to as Boostrix or Adacel. Um, this vaccine is required every 10 years, so we will require a dose that has been received within the last 10 years. Please do not confuse this with a normal tetanus booster that you would receive if you had a wound and um with the diphtheria, tetanus, polio or the adult diphtheria tetanus. There are several vaccines available worldwide that do have tetanus and diphtheria available within them, but we do specifically require the dTpa with the pertussis component. Pertussis is not available as a standalone vaccine so this would be the vaccine that we require. Um, if you are having any issues with accessing the dTpa vaccine, please let us know.
Okay, so you will also be required to show us evidence of hepatitis B vaccination, so this can be either through records of a completed vaccination course (which for an adult is three doses) or a hepatitis B vaccination declaration, which can be obtained through your OASV assessor. If you do not have any previous history of hepatitis B vaccination, please have your first dose now. We Will also be need required to see in addition to the hepatitis B vaccination evidence, a record of hepatitis B surface antibody testing. So, this test result is required in addition to vaccination evidence or the hepatitis B vaccination declaration.
Okay and now moving onto measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). So, evidence of measles, mumps and rubella immunity will be required, and this will either be evidenced through two doses of the MMR vaccine, or you can provide serology results showing immunity to all three of the viruses. Please know that if you have been fully vaccinated, you do not need serology taken, nor do you need to provide that evidence to us. Also, if you are born before 1966, you are considered to have natural immunity and do not need to provide any further evidence. If you do have measles, mumps, and rubella serology taken at any of the results are negative or low positive, further MMR vaccines will be required. In this case, please have one dose of the MMR vaccine immediately and then consult with your OASV assessor as to whether another dose will be required.
Now moving on to varicella, or more commonly known as chickenpox. So, immunity to varicella can be evidenced through either vaccinations or serology. If you do not have evidence of two varicella vaccinations and you recall having chickenpox as a child, please request varicella IgG serology through your GP. If you have not previously been vaccinated or your IgG is negative, you will be required to show two doses of varicella vaccination. Please be aware that written evidence of declaring previous chickenpox illness cannot be accepted unless it is listed on the Australian Immunization Register which would have to be entered by an Australian GP.
Okay and next, we will move onto influenza vaccinations. So, flu vaccines are required each year between June 1st and September 30th, which is Australia's peak flu season. It is likely you will not be able to access a southern hemisphere flu vaccine if you are currently in the northern hemisphere. So, this can be provided on-site when you start work.
You will also be required to share evidence of a primary course of COVID-19 vaccination, this is usually two doses, and is the minimum requirement for all staff. We would prefer that is the records evidence can show individual doses with individual dates and batch numbers, however, EUCOVID-19 passports will also be accepted.
Okay, so four forms will be required in addition to immunisation and serology results, through Adobe you will have written instructions inside your OSAV package on how to do that and if you do complete them
: the tuberculosis screening tool, the undertaking declaration form, the STA Health registration form, and the latex screening tool. These forms can be completed electronically through Adobe, with written instructions in your OAS package. Ensure answers and signatures are saved properly. If you have difficulty completing them electronically, just make sure the answers and the signature are saved properly. If you are having any difficulty completing electronically, we are very happy to accept scanned copies that have been completed by hand. We also ask you send in the PDF documents as attachments, and not as photos or documents embedded in the body of the email.
Okay now I’m just going to run through the TB assessment tool. So, the purpose of the TB assessment tool is to determine previous risk of TB infection, or increased susceptibility to infection if exposed to TB. There are three parts to this form, and each must be completed in full. There are certain situations in which we will have to refer you to TB Services here in Hunter New England. If this occurs, the service will be provided free of charge to you and will likely involve a consultation or communication and through emails with a clinician from the TB Services Clinic.
Please ensure you complete all applicable personal details; some will not be relevant or available to you at the moment and they can be left blank. Most important is that the form is signed and dated. Part A of the form to assess any likelihood of current active TB infection, so this is relevant for those with no history of TB infection and those with a diagnosis of latent TB. Please tick yes to any symptoms you have had which have not already been attributed to a current diagnosis given by a doctor.
Okay, so Part B. Part B is to determine if you have previous diagnosis of TB, or have had treatment for TB, or have a medical condition which makes you more susceptible to acquiring TB. So, if you have been diagnosed with TB previously, please include all your test results, chest x-ray reports, and any correspondence from TB clinics when you send through your OSAV evidence. What we will do is consult with our local TB Services who will either request an updated chest x-ray or who may give clearance based on the evidence provided. Also, if you have a condition in which affects your immune system or if you’re on any medications or treatments which impact your immune system, please declare this and provide brief details.
So, moving onto Part C. So, Part C determines all your previous exposure risk to TB. So, if your country of birth is on the World Health Organisation's list of high-risk countries, then an IGRA test will be required. So, this test must have been taken either after you left the country of high risk or within three months of departure.
You will also need to declare all your high-risk travel, all your travel to high-risk countries. So, if you have travelled for 12 weeks or more to countries of high risk, an IGRA test will also be requested from after you have reached 12 weeks of cumulative travel. So, if for example, you have travelled through multiple high-risk countries over the past five years and all those occasions add up to nine weeks and three days, we would not require evidence of TB testing. However, if it added up to twelve weeks or more than 12 weeks, we would request evidence of TB testing. And just to explain evidence of TB testing, a chest x-ray on its own would not be accepted as evidence of TB clearance or in lieu of a TB test, as this does not determine if you have latent TB. So, if you have chest x-ray report stating clearance from TB but do not a pathology testing report for TB, you will still be asked to provide the result of an IGRA pathology test. So, an IGRA pathology test is commonly called a QFG or a QuantiFERON Gold and just so you know tuberculin skin test are very commonly used around the world cannot be accepted if read outside of Australia. So, if you are required to have TB testing, please ask for an IGRA or QFG test.
Okay, so the undertaking declaration forms purpose is basically your agreement to abide by NSW Health OSAV policy, so that includes any ongoing vaccination and screening requirements, and it is also your consent to the OASV assessment process as part of your employment requirement. If you are given temporary compliancy with the OSAV policy, this also forms your agreement to have the required vaccinations or testing within the stipulated timeframe. And as with all the forms, we just ask that you please ensure that have signed and dated the bottom, this is very important.
Okay, so the purpose of this form is to screen healthcare worker for an increased risk of development of a latex allergy or current latex allergy diagnosis. So, please complete this by circling the appropriate responses up the right-hand side; a score of three or more will require latex Ige testing. If you do score three or more, staff health will be informed, and they will manage any workplace requirements. The only other thing to remember is to please sign and date the bottom next to the healthcare worker section.
Okay, so the staff health registration form, this is used to update your personal details in your staff health medical file. Please complete this in full, by indicating the appropriate responses. You will likely not have a Medicare number yet, so this section at the bottom can be left blank and any other areas in which should not apply to you, or you don’t know, you can leave blank, that’s fine. When you do start working, technically you should complete this again and update this with your local Australian address and phone number. So, if you do come into contact with staff health, please recomplete this form for them.
Okay, so what can you provide as immunisation and screening evidence? So, any government or health agency issued vaccination record, that’s including COVID-19 international certificates, EU passports are fine, um records from medical practitioners in the form of printed transcripts, they’re accepted provided that all the details that all the dates of the vaccinations or serology are listed. We can also accept handwritten records from baby books, or childhood vaccination books, providing that the records are eligible, signed and dated and have clear identifiers on each page including your name and date of birth. Also, any transcripts from previous employers, such as from occupational health department is great and if you do have any records that are not in English, please send them through to the District OASV team for review and provided they are clear and can be interpreted easily then they may be accepted but this will be determined on a case-by-case basis. And basically, I would just say, if you’re not sure, send it through for a review and we will let you know whether or not this can be accepted. Also, if you are refused any of the vaccinations or the serology testing that we have gone through today, please let the OASV assessor, we will try to work out a solution with you and there are options we can talk through if that is the case.
Okay, so now that we have given you all this information, you may be thinking okay where I start, what do I do now. So, I would recommend that you start by collating all of your vaccinations and serology evidence. So have a look at the immunisation and screening evidence checklist, start to tick off what requirements you do meet, with the evidence that you have. So, you may need to reach out to your GP, or healthcare providers, or previous healthcare providers, or previous places of work. Um, to request transcripts of any previous vaccinations or serology or you may need to make appointments with your GP or occupational health nurse as to get some assistance. Then please send this evidence to the designated recruitment email address provided. And then this evidence will be reviewed by the District OASV team assessors and if there is any outstanding evidence required. You will receive an email directly from the District OSAV team, so we do just ask that you respond to those emails if you do receive one.
So that is all we have to cover today, and I would like to thank you for watching and we hope you have found this information helpful in meeting your OASV requirements for Hunter New England Health. And we look forward to working with you.
