Australia RACGP Standards for After-hours and Medical Deputising Services (5th edition) C3.5: Work health and safety: the service supports the safety, health and wellbeing of its team, encourages team members to obtain and record the immunisations the Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends for their duties, and provides GPS tracking to support the safety of practitioners driving to and attending home and other visits

What does C3.5 require?

After-hours work carries particular hazards. The service identifies workplace risks such as lone work at night, aggression, driving fatigue, needlestick injury and infectious exposure, puts controls in place and tells staff how to report incidents. It supports wellbeing through fair rostering, debriefing after difficult events and access to support. It encourages each team member to be immunised as the current Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends for their role, and keeps a record of immunisation status with consent. Practitioners who travel to home and other visits are supported by GPS tracking of their location so the service can respond if they do not check in or call for help, alongside procedures such as drivers or chaperones and duress alerts.