Change to referral process for outreach immunisation services

New BPAC referral process 

Te Whatu Ora has introduced BPAC referrals for referring pēpi and tamariki between 6 weeks to 6 years to the Outreach Immunisation Service (OIS). 

Practices can now refer directly to Outreach Immunisation Services using the familiar BPAC referral function within their Practice Management System (PMS). This process pre-populates patient details and enables the secure transfer of patient information directly to the Waikato AIR Coordination Service. Referrals will then be processed as usual and allocated to the appropriate outreach provider in the patient’s area. Practices can also continue to use the overdue (passive) report to refer to OIS. 

When to refer 

Please continue to use your PMS recall system to identify pēpi and tamariki who may benefit from referral to Outreach Immunisation Services. Guidance on when to refer to outreach can be found in the Te Whatu Ora Guidelines for Immunisation Management in Primary Care https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-professionals/guidance-standards/topic/immunisation/guidelines-for-immunisation-management-in-primary-care  

The GP Immunisation Manual will be updated with this new referral process very soon.  

Timely referrals give outreach teams the opportunity to engage with whānau and support the completion of immunisations, helping protect children and their communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. 

Contact 

If you have any questions or require support with this new referral process, please contact: 

Catherine McCaffrey, Immunisation Improvement Nurse (Catherine.McCaffrey@pinnacle.health.nz) 

Catherine Tobin, Primary Care Lead (Catherine.Tobin@pinnacle.health.nz) 

Thank you for your continued commitment to improving immunisation access and outcomes for whānau.