7 March 2022
To: Medical Officers of Health cc: DHB Chief Executives, General Managers Human Resources
Re: Enrolled Nurses as full vaccinators
Tēnā koe As you are aware, the authorisation of vaccinators in New Zealand is in accordance with the Medicines Regulations 1984 clause 44A(2). The Director-General of Health or a Medical Officer of Health (MOoH) may authorise any person to administer a vaccine that is a prescription medicine for the purposes of an approved immunisation programme. For several years providers, clinicians and MOoH have enquired whether Enrolled Nurses (ENs) can become authorised vaccinators. Presently, this decision is taken at the discretion of the local MOoH and there is variance in these decisions across the country. Considering the upcoming MMR and influenza immunisation campaigns, it is timely to provide a statement which may help guide MOoH in their decisions. Following consultation with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has developed the following position statement which supports ENs to become fully authorised vaccinators. I am writing to you in the first instance before this position is communicated more broadly with the sector. The Ministry of Health recognises the invaluable contribution that Enrolled Nurses make to the health and disability workforce, and to national immunisation programmes. The Ministry supports Medical Officers of Health approving Enrolled Nurses as fully authorised vaccinators, when they fulfil the criteria outlined in the Medicines Regulations 1984 and the Immunisation Handbook. The Ministry notes the circumstances in which an Enrolled Nurse can work as an authorised vaccinator should align with the scope of practice for Enrolled Nurses set by the Nursing Council of New Zealand. Enrolled Nurses will complete the training and assessment to be an (independent) authorised vaccinator. However, in practice their role as a vaccinator must fit within the Enrolled Nurse legal scope of practice which is set under the HPCA Act by the Nursing Council. The scope statement requires Enrolled Nurse to work ‘under direction’ of a registered health practitioner. The Council has indicated the scope may change in the future but this will not affect their authorisation as a vaccinator.