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New South Wales


Specialist immunisation services provide specialised immunisation advice to healthcare professionals. These services have specialised nursing and medical staff to provide clinical advice on immunisation for children with complex or unusual medical backgrounds or who have had an adverse event following immunisation (AEFI). They can support children who have previously been affected by an AEFI by assessing and planning for immunisation and are able to answer complex questions and concerns relevant to an individual’s experience and circumstances.

In New South Wales, the relevant services are the New South Wales Immunisation Specialist Service (NSWISS) and the Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

Last updated on 8 June 2023.

Information

Resource type: Specialist Immunisation Service
Resource Format: On-screen text
SKAI Topic: Childhood
Contact details

New South Wales Immunisation Specialist Service (NSWISS)

Address:   
Outpatients Department   
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead  
Cnr Hawkesbury Rd and Hainsworth St  
Westmead NSW 2145  
Phone: 02 9845 1414
Email: SCHN-NSWISS@health.nsw.gov.au

 

Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick  

Address
Outpatients Department  
Level 0  
Sydney Children’s Hospital  
High St  
Randwick NSW 2031  
Phone: 02 9382 1470  
Fax: 02 9382 0796

Information for providers and parents

NSWISS

  • The clinic operates every Friday morning between 9 am and 12 pm in the Bandaged Bear Outpatient Clinics.
  • Also provides telehealth consultations.
  • The NSWISS telephone advisory service runs Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5 pm (excluding public holidays). Call 02 9845 1414.
  • More information about the NSWISS is available on the website of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).

 

Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

  • The clinic operates Monday afternoons, on a fortnightly basis. Call 02 9382 1470 to make an appointment.
  • More information about the Immunisation Specialist Clinic is available on the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
What are the indications for referral?

NSWISS

  • Complex medical conditions or impaired immunity (for example, undergoing chemotherapy).
  • History of AEFI/s.
  • Under-immunised child requiring a complex catch-up schedule.
  • Needle-phobia where strategies for immunisation in primary care have failed.
  • Parents seeking modified vaccination schedule due to concerns about immunisation.
  • Complex or extensive concerns about immunisation that cannot be addressed in primary care.

 

Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

  • Children and adolescents who have experienced a previous AFEI.
  • Underlying medical condition or allergy that requires supervision during immunisation.
  • Families who are concerned about vaccines and adverse events.
What can referral offer parents?

NSWISS

  • Up-to-date detailed information and scientific literature on immunisation.
  • In-depth, extended consultations with immunisation specialists (clinical nurse consultant and/or paediatrician) to discuss the benefits and risks of immunisation.
  • Discussion of alternative vaccination schedules (delayed or selective), according to the recommended NSW schedule.
  • Advice about whether their child qualifies for a medical exemption and why or why not.
  • Specialist support for children with special needs or needle-phobia.
  • Vaccination under light sedation, under close observation (subject to medical evaluation).
  • Supervised vaccination for children with complex medical conditions, for example, children who are immunosuppressed, receiving chemotherapy, or have a history of anaphylaxis associated with vaccination.
  • Follow-up consultations as required.
  • Tailored catch-up schedule for under-immunised children.
  • Online video-conferencing or telephone consultations for families who live outside the Sydney metro area.
  • Consultations are free of charge for eligible Medicare card holders, with a referral letter from their general practitioner. 

 

Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

  • Provide assessment and management of children and adolescents who have experienced a previous AEFI.
  • Supervision during immunisation.
  • Offer advice for catch-up vaccination.
  • Discussion with parents who are concerned about vaccines and adverse events.
How do I refer a parent?

NSWISS

 

Immunisation Specialist Clinic at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

  • Referral letter to specialist by name. Consultants are A/Prof P Palasanthiran and Dr B McMullan.
  • Call 02 9382 1470 to make an appointment.
  • Urgent cases can be referred through the Emergency Department. 
What do parents need to take to their appointment?
  • Referral letter.
  • Child’s Medicare card.
  • Child’s Personal Health Record (Blue Book).
What services are offered to providers?

NSWISS

  • Telephone advisory service runs Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (excluding public holidays), call 02 9845 1414.
  • Immunisation providers are requested to email clinical questions to NSWISS at SCHN-NSWISS@health.nsw.gov.au and include a contact phone number. Responses will be provided via email or return phone call as appropriate within one business day. The NSWISS email inbox is monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 
  • For urgent after-hours advice on the immediate investigation and management of a serious AEFI, clinicians can contact NSWISS via The Children’s Hospital at Westmead switchboard on 02 9845 0000 (both during business and after hours).