Mrs Loida Castro Torrealba1
1Bupa Village and Aged Care, Australia
Biography:
Eunice Castro is a RN and Quality Governance Consultant/National IPC Lead at Bupa Village and Aged Care (BVAC). She holds a Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Public Health. Since 2022, she has led the development and review of infection prevention and control policies and procedures across BVAC nationally.
Abstract:
Uptake of vaccine-preventable disease immunisations among residential aged care residents and staff is often low across the sector, increasing the likelihood of preventable infections and outbreaks. To address this, Bupa Aged Care implemented an innovation-led and quality improvement model across 57 homes to make timely vaccination easier to access, deliver and record.
The approach focused on upskilling existing clinical capability by training RNs as Authorised Nurse Immunisers, with many of these immunisers also serving as IPC leads to strengthen local leadership and accountability. In parallel, governance and workflows were designed to enable application for a secure access to, and reporting through, the Australian Immunisation Register, and to meet the enrolment requirements of relevant national immunisation programs across jurisdictions. A pivotal milestone was participation in a Commonwealth Vaccine Operations Centre onboarding process, through which Bupa became the first independent Australian aged care provider to receive direct shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, validating internal systems and enabling faster booster availability.
Since implementation, resident vaccination coverage has improved beyond typical sector performance, staff influenza vaccination participation has increased substantially, and care homes report stronger engagement and confidence in on-site vaccination delivery. Enhanced visibility of coverage has enabled targeted follow-up for residents and staff who are overdue or hesitant, supporting sustained improvement.
This scalable model demonstrates how building trusted vaccinators, simplifying access, and embedding quality improvement governance can deliver measurable benefits at scale. Practical steps, and lessons that can be adapted to accelerate immunisation uptake and strengthen infection prevention outcomes in Residential aged care setting