The Health & Disability Commissioner has found a registered nurse in a medical centre in which she worked to be in breach of the patient’s code of rights.  The registered nurse and a medical centre accidentally administered 15 month vaccinations to a child when the child had already received those vaccinations.  The Health & Disability Commissioner found that the nurse did not provide the child with services with reasonable skill and care and breached Right 4(1) of the Code of Rights.

The medical centre also breached the Code of Rights because it did not have a formal policy for the administration of vaccines and did not monitor the registered nurse’s compliance with the vaccinators standards in what she was trained.

The nurse attended an immunisation refresher course and was to apologise to the family.  The medical centre is also to provide an apology to the family.

The medical centre is also to carry out an audit of its vaccination documents to ensure 100% compliance with the vaccination policies.

Alan Knowsley

Medical Lawyer
Wellington