Posted By Julian Pitty Patty Two linked questions if anyone can help. For care home workers ( looking after the elderley ) is the Hepatitis B jab recommended? And if so what is the cost - I have been given two costs so far - one at £15 and the other £95 ( from my local NHS Doctor but not on the NHS ). Thanks in advance

Posted By Gavin Gibson Firstly you should consider a risk assessment, as immunisation is not a control measure but a response to a mistake / accident. Secondly, if your organisation feels it is appropriate to immunise staff it may be cheaper to carry it out in-house, thus ensuring that all relevant staff are protected. Thirdly, my wife's immunisation for Hep B was carried out by her GP for the cost of a prescription, so ask about your GPs policy for woork related immunisation.

Posted By Nigel Hammond Hi Julian Have you looked at pages 19 and 20 of the HSE Guide to Care Homes (HSG220)? This gives guidance that supports the risk assessment approach that the previous responses talked about. In our organisation, we run care homes for people with learning disabilities and our policy is to recommend hep B for all staff. As for price, most GPs don't seem to charge but I have received bills in the past. I can't remember the exact price but I think it was about £15 to £20 per jab. I think several jabs are required to immunise properly - I think 3 to 4 - depending on the outcome of the tests that are done in-between each jab. So the cost could easily be between £45 to £80.

Posted By Marilyn Martin Hi Julian You need to contact your local Public Health Office and speak with the Consultant or Senior Nurse. They will advise you on current policy. Your risk assessment will obviously have taken into account how much contact the staff have with body fluids, sharps, violent or unpredictable clients that may bite/scratch Last time I checked, a couple of years ago, the recommendation in similar circumstances was not necessary to vaccinate this type of care worker, but to ensure they all have training to cover the following: Your company policy Your company procedures in event of them sustaining bite injury, needlestick injury or similar. Keep cuts covered and report if contact with body fluids to open wound Reporting incidents to line manager Ensure the line managers know the procedures in place! Procedure recommended for those exposed to body fluids in these types of situations would be for affected person to see GP and/or A& E for administration of immunoglobulin if deemed necessary. Hope this helps Marilyn Martin