Immunisation program

Scheduled Substance Treatment Protocols (SSTP)

SSTPs permit vaccine accredited practitioners to legally administer listed vaccines without a doctor’s order or prescription. These SSTPs and others are located on the medicines and poisons notices.

See below the SSTPs for Nurses, Midwives and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners and Pharmacists

• NT Wide Nurse ATSIHP Immunisation
• NT Wide Pharmacist Immunisation

Qualifications to administer vaccines

All health professionals administering vaccines from this protocol must have completed and hold a current qualification in either:

• a program of study accredited by Health Education and Services Australia
• a program of study approved by the Chief Health Officer
• completed the assessment of an immuniser program of study that meets the curriculum content requirements of the National Immunisation Education Framework for Health Professionals.

Vaccine supply and management framework

This framework applies to all Vaccine Service Providers receiving vaccines from Northern Territory (NT) Health for the purpose of vaccination within the NT.

• Vaccine supply and management framework DOCX (111.9 KB)

HESA accredited vaccine courses

To administer vaccines without the order of a medical practitioner in the NT, nurses (including registered enrolled nurses), midwives and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners (ATSHIP) are required to have completed a Health Education Services Australia (HESA) approved vaccination course.

To access HESA accredited immunisation education programs, go to the Health Education Services Australia website.

Maintaining competency

All nurses, midwives and ATSIHP must maintain ongoing professional competency in the delivery of vaccines. This can include formal education modules, seminars, self-directed learning and peer-to-peer training. Clinicians should be guided by their national board’s guidance on continuing professional development (CPD).

One option to maintain competency is that vaccine providers complete the free About Giving Vaccines Upskill course annually.

To register and complete the course annually, go to the NT Remote Locum Program elearning website.