Following discussions with the Victorian Hospitals' Industrial Association (VHIA) a bulletin has been issued to all public health services providing advice regarding obligations to employees directly or indirectly affected by the current influenza pandemic. The VHIA advice is supported by the ANF (Vic Branch). Download the bulletin from the Resources Box.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing has also issued advice for staff, residents and visitors to residential aged care facilities. Download the bulletin from the Resources Box.
On 9 June the Victorian Health Emergency Coordination Unit of the Victorian Department of Human Services issued a Public Health Emergency Order. This Order has authorised all registered division 1 nurses of the register maintained by the Nurses Board of Victoria to obtain, possess, use and supply without prescription the Schedule 4 poison Oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
According to DHS, the additional information below will help you ensure you comply with the Drugs and Poisons Act.
Hospitals or Flu Clinics wishing to implement this authority must ensure that when supplying Tamiflu:
- Appropriate and legible records of supply to confirmed cases and subsequent direct household contacts are kept (refer to page 2)
- Scripts written to hospital pharmacies for Tamiflu are documented on hospital letterhead and signed by the authorised division 1 registered nurse
- That division 1 registered nurses only supply Tamiflu to confirmed cases and their direct household contacts
- That division 1 registered nurses are provided with a copy of the attached Public Health Emergency Order
The Order can be downloaded from the Resources Box.
Check out the guideline jointly developed by the ANF and RCNA to inform members and other nurses about your role in preparing for, and managing, an influenza pandemic in Australia. Resource list included.
