News

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GPs ‘hardly mentioned’ in national immunisation plan

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Doctors’ groups have welcomed a new five-year national strategy to lift childhood vaccination rates but say the new plan is lacking support for the central role of GPs in immunisation.
 
The Federal Government’s National Immunisation Strategy for Australia 2025–30 was released on Thursday by Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler.
 
The plan provides a roadmap to increase and sustain immunisation rates over the next five years, and targets misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as well as equity and access.
 
It also flags the importance of bolstering the immunisation workforce, including the use of community pharmacies, which it says are an important delivery option, especially where access to general practice or other immunisation services are limited.
 
The strategy’s six priority areas are to:

• Improve access to immunisation, with a focus on equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other priority populations
• Build trust, understanding and acceptance of immunisation in communities
• Use data more effectively to target immunisation strategies and monitor performance
• Strengthen the immunisation workforce
• Harness new technologies to respond to the evolving communicable disease and vaccine landscape
• Implement sustainable reform in vaccine program governance, program delivery and accountability

 
Minister Butler said Australia’s childhood vaccination rates have been in steady decline since 2020, with most communities now seeing levels below the 95% rate for herd immunity.
 
‘We know that people’s trust in vaccination, medicine and science has been impacted in recent years by growing scepticism but also importantly by a proliferation of false and misleading information,’ he said.
 
‘By better engaging with communities, we’re going to build trust, understanding and acceptance of immunisation science.’
 
While the strategy has been welcomed, there has been criticism at the lack of focus on general practice within the plan.
 
RACGP Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health Chair, Dr Tim Jones said the role of GPs is essential in making the strategy work, and that includes adequate investment in primary care.
 
‘We need to get back to a trusting relationship between the public and healthcare around the importance of vaccination in keeping our communities safe and well,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘We are the most trusted health professionals and together with our practice nurses are best placed to have these respectful discussions around those who are vaccine hesitant or uncertain.
 
‘Enabling other health professionals to deliver vaccines will only benefit those who already are ‘all in’ on vaccines – these are not the groups that have declining vaccination rates, and those groups need trusting longitudinal relationships to empower them against the wave of online misinformation.’
 
Dr Michael Tam, a member of the RACGP Expert Committee – Quality Care, said many vaccines under the National Immunisation Program are core parts of preventive health through a patient’s life stages.
 
‘General practice is at the core of immunisation delivery in the Australian setting. And it should be, because immunisation is really a core part of primary care,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘There is a risk when turning the output to simply be the delivery of the vaccine, as opposed to what we’re actually trying to achieve, which is a healthier population overall.’
 
While there is a place for the delivery of some vaccines by other healthcare providers, such as community pharmacists and within the school system, Dr Tam said it is important that this does not lead to fragmented care.
 
‘When we start thinking about questions of equity, like who should be prioritised for vaccines, who are the sickest people, and who would benefit most … GPs know who their sickest patients are, their most vulnerable and those with chronic disease who really do need to get the vaccines first, because they are their patients.’
 
Australian Medical Association President Dr Danielle McMullen also expressed disappointment that ‘the role of general practitioners was hardly mentioned in the strategy, considering they provide the majority of vaccinations in Australia and are a trusted source of immunisation information’.
 
‘When we are dealing with the issue of misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, general practitioners are the best placed to discuss any concerns with patients,’ she said.
 
‘We understand the implementation plan for this strategy is yet to be released, but we will be strongly advocating for further support and resources for GPs to continue playing this leading role.’
 
The Federal Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will now work with the states and territories to implement the strategy.
 
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childhood vaccination immunisation vaccination vaccination hesitancy vaccine

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