The mandates apply to frontline workers who have direct physical contact with patients, and bodily fluids and infectious materials.
Those who do not interact with patients or access patient treatment areas, will only be “strongly encouraged” to have the flu shot.
Goulburn Valley Health clinical operations executive director Donna Sherringham said GV Health was planning a four-week campaign to vaccinate all staff using their nurse immuniser team and was confident they would meet the August 15 deadline.
“Our staff are aware of the importance of protecting themselves, our patients and the community from the impact of all respiratory illnesses ahead of winter, COVID-19 and influenza included,” she said.
Staff in public and private hospitals, ambulance services and public residential aged care services who are not vaccinated by the deadline may face “work restrictions”.
Under the legislation, unvaccinated workers can be sacked, redeployed, given alternative duties or additional personal protective equipment requirements.
Ms Sherringham said the uptake of the influenza vaccine by GV Health staff had always been very high, regardless of mandates.
“We are not expecting this to be an operational challenge,’’ she said.
“We have recently experienced no disruption to services as the direct result (for example) of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health services.
People looking to work in healthcare who are not vaccinated by the deadline won’t be eligible to take up a new role in a health service.
The flu vaccination mandate officially came into effect in 2020, but implementation was delayed by the pandemic.
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