Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) GP6.1: Maintaining vaccine potency: a team member leads cold chain management, ensures the process complies with the current National Vaccine Storage Guidelines Strive for 5, and reviews ordering, stock rotation, equipment maintenance, temperature monitoring and the response to breaches; the practice has a written practice-specific cold chain policy

What does GP6.1 require?

A vaccine stored outside two to eight degrees may fail silently. The practice names a team member who owns cold chain management and a back-up. That person ensures the practice's storage and handling meet the latest Strive for 5 national vaccine storage guidance, using a purpose-built vaccine refrigerator with a data logger and minimum and maximum thermometer, twice daily temperature recording, annual refrigerator checks and a cold chain breach procedure that isolates stock and contacts the State or Territory health authority before use. They review the practice's processes for ordering and stock rotation, equipment maintenance, temperature monitoring and audit, and staff training. A written cold chain policy specific to the practice sets all of this out.