Report 29

Improving Immunisation Rates of Children in WA

Agency responses

Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS)

The Child and Adolescent Health Service accepts the findings of the Office of Auditor General Performance Audit on Improving immunisation rates of children in WA.

One of CAHS key service delivery goals is to improve immunisation rates for Western Australian children. CAHS is committed to improving immunisation rates for all children in the metropolitan area in partnership with Communicable Disease Control Directorate (CDCD) and other key stakeholders.

CAHS acknowledges that General Practitioners (GPs) are the majority provider of childhood vaccinations, therefore GPs contribute significantly to overall immunisation coverage, particularly in metropolitan Perth, where GPs deliver approximately three quarters of all childhood immunisations. As the statewide coordinator of the National Immunisation Program, CDCD is well placed to work with GPs to maintain and improve immunisation performance, including reminder letters to GPs for children who are overdue.

Engagement with the community is critical in improving immunisation rates. CAHS will continue to target ‘hard to reach’ families and plays an important role in the provision of services to vulnerable clients, including new migrants. CAHS will continue to work with CDCD to improve immunisation rates for other vulnerable population groups.

In 2013 CAHS undertook a review of its Immunisation Services. The Report of the Review into Child and Adolescent Community Health Immunisation Services: 2013-2015 contains 47 recommendations on improving childhood immunisation rates, of which 29 have been fully implemented, with the remaining relevant recommendations in progress.

Department of Health – Public Health division

‘The Department accepts the findings of the report “Improving Immunisation Rates of Children in WA”. However, we do not accept the recommendations:

  • to revise the adolescent consent form. The consent forms for 2017 have already been printed. In 2018, Health plan to disband the School Based Immunisation Program (SBIP) database, and instead ask immunisation providers to report directly to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
  • for children whose births have not been registered. The recommendation is not considered a justified area of focus as these children are not precluded from accessing immunisation services.
  • for children of conscientious objectors. Health cannot identify these children which limits our ability to target this group. The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance is a specialist research group that is developing resources for engaging with conscientious objectors.’

WA Country Health Service (WACHS)

WACHS supports the key finding: WACHS’ targeted planning and delivery of immunisation services has contributed to almost 3% higher immunisation rate in regional WA compared to Metropolitan Perth; further active monitoring, development of action plans and projects will continue when regions fall below the 90% target.

WACHS is supportive of the Department of Health (DoH) extending reminder letters to GPs to include all children over 2 years overdue for vaccinations. WACHS regions send reminders to families for children when immunisations are due and overdue regardless of age, letters from the DoH to GPs for all ages would complement this process.

WACHS agrees to continue to work with service providers to ensure timely and complete information is uploaded to the Commonwealth’s Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). WACHS is working with GPs and the WA Primary Health Alliance representatives to ensure that AIR data is improved. WACHS will further work with service providers to ensure information uploaded to the AIR includes GP details and new migrant immunisation records.

WACHS notes there would be benefit in strengthening DoH and Health Service Provider Agreements to include regular reporting against a greater number of Immunisation Indicators. WACHS will continue to work with DoH to develop immunisation indicators and reporting processes.

WACHS notes the finding for DoH to revise the consent form to include service providers. This will support the initiatives to improve adolescent HPV immunisation rates WACHS commenced in 2015. WACHS will continue to work to improve the uptake of all 3 doses of the vaccine and associated data capture; this includes working with parents to ensure consent forms are fully completed.

WACHS notes DoH will strengthen agreements with service providers to include regular reporting against performance indicators for children, adolescents and ‘at risk’ categories. WACHS will continue to work with DoH to develop immunisation indicators and reporting processes.

Page last updated: February 15, 2017

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