Immunisations for HCAs and HCSWs

Day 1: Thursday 17 July 2025

Day 2: Friday 18 July 2025

🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM each day
💻 Delivery: Live via MS Teams

Course Overview

This two-day interactive webinar is designed for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) and Healthcare Support Workers (HCSWs) working in general practice who are involved — or will soon be involved — in administering immunisations.

The course is fully aligned with the RCGP Competency Framework for HCAs and the UKHSA (formerly Public Health England) National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training. It provides the essential knowledge needed for safe vaccine administration, management of adverse events, cold chain storage, patient assessment, legal frameworks, and accurate documentation within general practice settings.

Delegates will receive a competency document to complete in their workplace, ensuring supervised practice and real-world confidence before administering vaccines independently.
A Certificate of Attendance and 12 CPD hours will be awarded upon successful completion.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how vaccines work and their role in protecting individual and public health.

• Understand legal requirements for vaccination practice, including consent and Patient Specific Directions (PSDs).

• Safely administer vaccines using correct injection techniques and anatomical sites.

• Manage vaccine storage and maintain the cold chain effectively.

• Recognise and respond appropriately to anaphylaxis and adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).

• Conduct thorough patient assessments and identify contraindications to vaccination.

• Accurately document immunisations in line with general practice record-keeping standards.

• Stay updated with seasonal and adult vaccination programmes.

What’s Included

• Two full days of live webinar training

• Access to webinar recordings for 30 days (optional)

• Final quiz and Certificate of Attendance

• Competency document for practice-based sign-off

• Digital Immunisation Handbook (Green Book summary guide)

• 12 CPD hours

 Lecturer: Kirsty Armstrong

Kirsty Armstrong is an experienced Registered Nurse and Specialist Community Practitioner with over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience in primary care and public health.
She specialises in immunisation training, vaccination programme management, and supporting healthcare teams to deliver safe and effective immunisation services in line with national standards. Kirsty is passionate about empowering HCAs and HCSWs through practical, interactive education. She is also a qualified mentor and has contributed to the development of immunisation guidelines at the local NHS Trust level.

🗓️ Course Agenda

Day 1: Thursday 17 July 2025 – Foundations of Immunisation Practice

• Welcome and course overview

• Understanding the immune system and how vaccines work

• Overview of the UK immunisation schedule (routine, adult, catch-up, and seasonal vaccines)

• Types of vaccines and their components

• Consent, legal considerations, and the HCA role (including PSD and PGD overview)

• Safe vaccine administration: Injection techniques and anatomical sites

• Cold chain management principles

• Q&A and day reflection

Day 2: Friday 18 July 2025 – Safety, Risk Management, and Programme Updates

• Recognising and managing anaphylaxis

• Managing adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) and reporting via the Yellow Card Scheme

• Patient assessment before vaccination: Identifying red flags and contraindications

• Cold chain storage and vaccine handling refresher

• Updates on Influenza, Pneumococcal, Shingles, and COVID-19 vaccination programmes

• Introduction to travel health and understanding HCA role boundaries

• Course summary, final quiz, and competency document guidance