Information for General Practice
The Government has launched a national measles campaign with a focus on making sure that all people born from 1 January 1969 are immunised with MMR.
The campaign has a strong focus on equity and making sure we do everything we can to reduce gaps in immunisation between different groups, in particular Maori and Pacific peoples, and those with disabilities, or living rurally.
MMR is part of the childhood immunisation schedule which from 1 October 2020 has changed to fully protect children at a younger age with doses at 12 and 15 months (formerly 15 months and 4 years). In addition, anyone born from 1 January 1969 continues to be eligible for two free MMR doses.
In Southern, our General Practices are the primary way we can achieve our vaccination goals.
Eligibility and Funding
Everyone in a General Practice’s enrolled population born from 1 January 1969 remains eligible for funded vaccines.
General Practice will be funded via the normal mechanism for immunisation claims for their enrolled population born from 1 January 1969 and also to provide opportunistic immunisations to casual patients.
Expectations of General Practice
- When a patient presents for their MMR, we ask you to check their immunisation status and to provide them with any other outstanding vaccinations, in addition to MMR.
- All MMR vaccinations administered must be entered into the NIR, via your Patient Management System.
- Patients born after 2006 will already be opted onto the NIR.
- Some people will not know their immunisation status. In the first instance, messaging will encourage them to check with parents/caregivers and the records they hold. If, after checking, they still don’t know, we will advise them to check with their GP.
If there is no record of MMR being administered, we ask that you go ahead and vaccinate.
Information from Te Whatu Ora Southern and WellSouth Primary Network
There are several different types of Patient Management System. Helpful instructions of how to “opt on” patients into the NIR under each system are provided in the Resources and Information section below.
Te Whatu Ora Southern / WellSouth Primary Network will also look to provide General Practices with confidential reports around the immunisation data they provide throughout the campaign. This will help them to monitor whether the data is being transferred successfully to the NIR, or whether there are issues with the electronic transfer that need to be looked at.
Timeframe and messaging
In terms of General Practice, this measles campaign and immunisation work is an extension of business as usual. General Practices will already being routinely providing scheduled vaccinations and other vaccinations upon request.
The messaging will give information about measles, encourage people to be get their MMR and provide information about where they can be vaccinated. It will also encourage them to become fully immunised.
