The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association is providing support and advice to any members seeking information regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Ensure you’re covered at work by joining the NSWNMA.
If you’re working for a private aged care provider, please check this page for information around self-isolation and your workplace entitlements |
The evolving nature of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak means our public health advice will continue to change. One thing remaining consistent however, is the contribution frontline nurses and health sector professionals are making to address it.
The Commonwealth Department of Health website contains detailed guidance for health sector workers and is updated regularly.
Paid pandemic leave
A recent ruling from the Fair Work Commission (FWC) granted paid pandemic leave to staff working in residential aged care under the Aged Care Award, the Nurses Award and the Health Professionals Award.
Many nurses in aged care are covered under an employer-specific enterprise agreement, rather than these Awards. The Association will be encouraging employers to adopt this industry standard in their enterprise agreements.
Sydney cases and Victoria outbreak – New measures for all Residential Aged Care Facilities
Given the current COVID-19 clusters in Sydney and the outbreak in Victoria, further advice and steps are being provided by NSW Health on a regular basis.
Aged care staff who work or reside in affected local government areas:
Affected local government areas (those in red have been included as of 31 July): Bankstown, Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, eastern part of City of Sydney*, Parramatta, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
*eastern part of City of Sydney includes: Sydney, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Elizabeth Bay, Eveleigh, Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Rosebery, Eastlakes, Centennial Park
- All aged care staff who reside in the affected local government areas must wear a surgical mask while in their facility until further notice.
- All aged care staff who work in residential aged care facilities located within the affected local government areas must wear a surgical mask while in their facility until further notice.
- Residential aged care facilities in the affected local government areas should not allow any visitors (visitors performing essential caring functions may be allowed but must wear a mask). In exceptional circumstances, seek advice from your local NSW Health public health unit on 1300 066 055.
Exclusions and Visitor restrictions for all residential aged care facilities in NSW:
- Anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms, even mild, should be excluded from the facility. They should be advised to isolate at home and seek COVID-19 testing.
- Any visitors who have been in the following local government areas in the previous two weeks should be excluded from the facility until further notice: Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, eastern part of City of Sydney, Parramatta, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
- Staff and visitors who have visited any of the locations linked to the COVID-19 Sydney clusters (see updated list of venues and dates) should be excluded for a period of 14 days since their visit to the listed location. It is important to regularly check the website, as this list may expand.
- Any visitors who have been in Victoria in the last two weeks should be excluded from the facility.
- Staff at facilities outside Victoria/NSW border communities, who have been in Victoria in the previous 14 days will be denied entry.
- Staff at facilities that are in Victoria/NSW border communities, separate tailored advice will be provided, however at a minimum staff will be excluded if they have been in Greater Melbourne or the Mitchell Shire, and any other area of Victoria where there is community transmission.
- Staff must not enter facilities if they are a contact of a suspected or possible case (i.e. someone who is currently waiting for test results) until that person is cleared by the public health unit or receives a negative result.
Measures such as phone or video calls should be made available to all residents to enable continuation of communication with family, friends or others who are not allowed to enter the facility at this time.
Advice for home care service providers in NSW
Given the current risk of COVID-19 now in the community, NSW Health recommends the implementation of the following measures:
- Any staff with fever or respiratory symptoms, even mild, should be excluded from work. They should be advised to isolate at home and seek COVID-19 testing.
- Any staff who have been in Victoria in the last two weeks should be excluded from providing home care services.
- Any staff who reside in the Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly local government areas, must wear a surgical mask while providing services until at least the end of July.
- When providing care to clients who live in, or have visited the above local government areas, staff must wear a surgical mask while providing services until at least the end of July.
- Staff actively ask clients about symptoms on arrival. If staff become aware of a client with symptoms, that client should be isolated from others, and arrangements made for COVID-19 testing.
New process for requesting PPE
The Australian Government is prioritising Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) distribution from the National Medical Stockpile to aged care services that are most in need.
To ensure PPE from the National Medical Stockpile is effectively prioritised on a needs-basis, providers are being asked to complete a new Aged Care PPE Request Form. This form will be sent to you via email after an initial inquiry is made via the agedcarecovidppe@health.gov.au email address.
Providers will be asked a number of questions relating to their PPE needs, including staff numbers (or home client visits per day), number of care recipients, PPE supplies on hands, and PPE requirements. It is recommended someone with an appropriate level of operational knowledge complete the form.
If you have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, a case manager will work with you on your PPE requirements.
At this stage, generally only masks are being distributed to residential and in home aged care services who are in a priority category.
A priority category is a residential or in home aged care service who:
- cannot access PPE through their usual means, and
- the Australian Government or State or Territory Government requires workers to wear masks in relation to a community transmission region, or
- they deliver personal care or other activities that require close physical contact, where:
- there is an outbreak or suspected case of COVID-19 or another notifiable infectious respiratory disease, or
- there is an immediate threat to the continuity of safe quality care due to a lack of access to PPE supplies.
Providers should also continue to try to source the PPE through suppliers while awaiting a response. Providers need to establish an ongoing general PPE supply.
In the absence of a vaccine for COVID-19, preventing exposure is the single most important step that any of us can take to protect ourselves and others from contracting this virus.
Providers should be undertaking routine screening of staff and visitors on entry irrespective of size or location. It is especially important for residential services located in communities (and/or drawing their staff from communities) where there is a local cluster of people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, or which are considered to be at higher risk of an outbreak.
Entry screening advice for residential aged care facilities can be found here.
Royal Commission Sydney Hearing into the response of COVID-19
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has announced details on a Sydney hearing in August.
It will inquire into the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in aged care, and what can be learned from this experience for responding to future pandemics, infectious disease outbreaks or other emergencies.
Date: 10 – 13 August 2020
Location: There will be no public access. Please follow the hearing on the live webcast.
Time: 10:00am local time
Use of face masks in the community to protect against COVID-19
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has developed new resources to provide guidance to consumers on the use of face masks to protect against COVID-19. Wearing a face mask is now recommended by Australian health experts in areas where community transmission of COVID-19 is high, if physical distancing is not possible.
Fact sheet and FAQs from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
The new fact sheet and answers to frequently asked questions will assist people to decide whether to wear a mask in the community, and provide advice on how to use face masks safely.
Current advice
The new resources support the recommendation of the Australian Government and Victorian Government to wear face masks in areas where there is community transmission of COVID-19. They explain how to safely put on and remove face masks, and reinforce the importance of existing prevention measures.
Wearing a face mask is currently recommended to help protect against droplets when a person with COVID-19 coughs, speaks or sneezes, if you are less than 1.5 metres away. Wearing a mask will also help protect others if you are infected with the virus.
Updated Industry Code on Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes During COVID-19
The updated Code reflects that:
- spouses, close relatives and social supports are not limited in the number of hours they spend with relatives
- children under 16 are can visit aged care homes
- staff are required to screen visitors, educate visitors about social distancing and hygiene during their visit, but not supervise visits
- residents are able to leave to attend small family gatherings (with providers undertaking a risk assessment prior to the outing and a screening process following the outing).
In accordance with this advice, it is appropriate for aged care facilities in the identified ‘hot spots’ in Victoria to adopt increased visitor restrictions.
Public Health Order
A person who has been to Victoria the last 14 days must not travel to NSW unless:
- they are a NSW resident
- they are entering NSW to obtaining medical or other care, to fulfil a legal obligation or give effect to a Court order, or to provide an essential service.
If a person has been in a hot spot location within the last 14 days and is already in NSW or arrives in NSW, they must self-isolate for 14 days from the time they were last in a COVID hotspot location.
The person must comply with the NSW Health self-isolation guidelines. They cannot go to work, unless providing an essential service and should check whether their employer has additional requirements around work attendance. They cannot go to school, childcare, recreation facilities, public areas, sightseeing or go shopping.
There are only limited reasons a person in self-isolation can leave their home, including obtaining medical care, complying with legal obligations, providing an essential service, in an emergency or to leave NSW.
See: Public Health (COVID-19 Border Control) Order 2020, Public Health (COVID-19 Interstate Hotspots) Amendment Order 2020 and isolation guidelines for People who have visited or travelled from Melbourne hotspots.
Public Health Order
The Public Health (COVID-19 Aged Care Facilities) Order (No 2) commenced on 23 June in relation to aged care facilities. Of particular relevance is the following:
5 Direction—entering and remaining on premises of residential aged care facility
(1) The Minister directs that a person must not enter or remain on the premises of a
residential aged care facility unless—
(a) the person is an employee or contractor of the operator of the residential aged
care facility, or
(b) the person is a representative of a union to which a person described in
paragraph (a) belongs, or
(c) the person is on the premises of the residential aged care facility for one of the
following purposes—
(i) providing goods or services that are necessary for the effective
operation of the facility, whether for consideration or for free,
(ii) providing health, medical or pharmaceutical services to a resident of the
facility, whether for consideration or for free,
(iii) providing personal care services to a resident of the facility, whether for
consideration or for free,
(iv) making a care and support visit to a resident of the facility,
(v) end-of-life support for a resident of the facility,
(vi) emergency management or law enforcement, or
(d) the person is on the premises in the person’s capacity as a prospective resident
of the residential aged care facility, or
(e) the person is on the premises in accordance with an exemption given by the
Minister under clause 8.
6 Direction—persons not to enter or remain on premises of residential aged care facility in certain circumstances
(1) The Minister directs that a person mentioned in clause 5(1)(a)–(d) must not enter or remain on the premises of a residential aged care facility if—
(a) during the 14 days immediately before the proposed entry, the person arrived in Australia from a place outside Australia, or
(b) during the 14 days immediately before the proposed entry, the person had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19, or
(c) the person has a temperature higher than 37.5 degrees or symptoms of acute respiratory infection, or
(d) the person does not have an up-to-date vaccination against influenza, unless—
(i) the vaccination is not available to the person, or
(ii) the person presents to the operator of the residential aged care facility a certificate in the approved form, issued by a medical practitioner, certifying that the person has a medical contraindication to the vaccination against influenza.
Workforce Retention Bonus Payment
- Eligible residential care workers will receive up to $800 before tax, per quarter, for two quarters.
- Eligible home care workers will receive up to $600 before tax, per quarter, for two quarters.
Your employer needs to make the application for the retention bonus by 2pm Friday, 14 August in order for you to receive it.
The government has released frequently asked questions (FAQs) to provide further information:
The ANMF has also released an information sheet on the retention bonus for workers:
Use this template letter to ask your employer if they have applied on your behalf.
Translation of COVID-19 Resources
For more translated resources, the Department of Home Affairs has a dedicated website – COVID-19 information in your language. This provides culturally and linguistically diverse communities with a single source of information in 63 languages other than English.
Updates to the CDNA Guidelines for Public Health Units
The Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) guidelines for public health units have been updated to include a new section on outbreak investigation and management in high-risk settings, including residential aged care.
The purpose of the guidelines is to provide nationally consistent advice and guidance to public health units in responding to a notifiable disease event. These guidelines capture the knowledge of experienced professionals, built on past research efforts, and provide advice on best practice based upon the best available evidence.
Face to face assessments
From 25 May, Regional Assessment Services (RASs) and Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) should offer face to face aged care assessments, where it is possible and safe to do so.
However, it is important to note that while COVID-19 circumstances continue, face to face assessments are not mandatory where this would be unsuitable or inappropriate for a client, service provider or assessment organisation. RAS and ACATs will continue to consider their local circumstances and client choice when determining whether aged care assessments are conducted face to face or by telephone or telehealth.
Outbreak management
When an Outbreak is Suspected: Providers must immediately notify their local Public Health Unit (PHU), and the Australian Government Department of Health.
- The PHU manages the outbreak, for example testing, contact tracing and infection control.
- The Department of Health will work with the provider to support them to identify whether an outbreak has occurred, and deliver additional support if required, such as in-reach pathology testing, access to PPE and workforce assistance.
Workforce Management: A critical aspect in the preparation phase is understanding the workforce impact and needs. It is essential providers put in place strategies to identify where and how they will get additional staff if there is an outbreak. Aged care providers must exhaust all possible avenues including contacting other providers for support; contacting recruitment agencies; reaching out to local and private district hospitals. The workforce surge measures that are in place are a last resort and work to complement the workforce that providers have sourced. They are not the full solution for a provider.
When an Outbreak is Confirmed: When an outbreak is confirmed, providers must establish an outbreak management team to direct, monitor and oversee the outbreak, confirm roles and responsibilities and liaise with their relevant Australian Government Department of Health state/territory officer. Providers will also need to put in place additional infection prevention and control measures, including:
-
- Isolation or cohorting of affected residents
- Maintaining hand hygiene
- Wearing appropriate PPE
- Practising cough and sneeze etiquette
- Enhanced environmental cleaning
- Placing signage at entrances and other locations in the facility
- Screening of staff and visitors.
The Department of Health’s guide to outbreak management outlines how to identify if there is an outbreak at your facility and the steps to take to manage the outbreak. Access the guide here.
Inform the Federal Department of Health of any confirmed COVID-19 cases via agedcareCOVIDcases@health.gov.au – this will facilitate Australian Government support for PPE and staff supplementation.
The Department can help with information on resources to manage an emergency or service delivery issues. If you need urgent assistance outside of normal business hours please contact the department on 1800 852 649.
This information is also available on the department’s website.
The Communicable Diseases Network of Australia also have National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Residential Care Facilities in Australia. This visual flowchart summarises the key steps aged care providers need to take around COVID-19 in an easy to read and understand format.
Outbreak management training
The outbreak management training module for aged care workers has been updated in accordance with the latest information from the CDNA.
Aged care workers are encourage to complete this updated training.
The training takes approximately 8 minutes to complete, and by the end of the module participants will be able to:
- Identify what a COVID-19 outbreak is
- Demonstrate the appropriate infection prevention control measures for a COVID-19 outbreak
- Explain how to isolate and cohort residents during a COVID-19 outbreak
- Identify appropriate cleaning and waste disposal procedures during a COVID-19 outbreak.
Access the Aged Care training modules here.
If you would like to access the aged care training, users will need to register their workplaces as ‘aged care’. If you have already registered for online training but not with ‘aged care’ as your workplace, email support@covid-19training.gov.au for a priority response.
Influenza vaccine requirement for workers
New legislation now requires all aged care workers to be vaccinated against Influenza
- from 1 May, you must have had your influenza vaccination to work in or visit an aged care facility
- if you’re a residential aged care worker, you must not go to work if you have a fever or symptoms of a respiratory illness
Your employer should be making sure all staff receive a vaccination as soon as possible and meet the cost.
An aged care worker who is unable (or their facility is unable) to access an influenza vaccination is able to continue employment beyond 1 May 2020 on the basis that the vaccination has not been available to the person (5(d)).
NSW Ministry of Health have stated those who have actively sought a flu vaccine before 1 May 2020 but have not yet received one because of shortage in supply may still attend work. However, they must have a vaccine as soon as one becomes available to them.
Aged care providers having trouble with supply can report this to the Department of Health at COVID-19FluVaccine@health.gov.au
The Commonwealth is currently seeking to improve access to the vaccine:
- The Australian Government has secured three million additional doses of seasonal influenza vaccine bringing the total number of flu vaccines to 16.5 million
- To assist access to the flu vaccine, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) have been contacting all residential aged care providers by region to undertake a needs assessment and coordinate influenza vaccination programs for those services with an identified need. The provisions may include sourcing vaccine supply and qualified vaccine administrators (see here for further details).
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Where you require PPE to do your job safely, it is your employer’s obligation to provide it. If you are caring for a resident who is suspected or confirmed COVID positive you should be provided with a surgical mask, disposable gloves, a long sleeved gown and goggles or a face mask. This should be put on before entering the resident’s room and removed on exit. You shouldn’t reuse any PPE unless it is marked as reusable, and then only where it has been properly cleaned in line with the manufacturer’s instructions before you reuse it. If you don’t have the PPE that you need to do a task safely, then you should not do that task until the PPE is provided.
Request stock of PPE
Residential aged care providers can request PPE by sending an email to agedcareCOVIDPPE@health.gov.au
The Department will assess requests and may be in contact if additional information is required. Providers will be advised if their request has been successful. If so, state and territory governments will distribute the agreed PPE to the provider.
Priority will be given to aged care providers where there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Guidance for Symptom Monitoring
This guidance was developed by the Communicable Disease Network of Australia (CDNA) and endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).
This guidance is intended for health and residential aged care settings considering monitoring for symptoms. Health screening for health and aged care workers for symptoms of COVID-19 in these settings may be used as one of a suite of measures to detect and prevent outbreaks.
You can find the guidance here.
Screening
Recommendations on screening of people entering residential facilities from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (22 April 2020):
- Ideally, there should be a single point of entry to the facility, with someone tasked to continuously monitor that entry
- Every staff member or visitor arriving at the facility should be asked, at the point of entry, to respond to a standard set of risk screening questions. Services may want to consider giving these questions to each staff member or visitor on a pre-printed form on arrival to assist with understanding and recording
The screening questions could include:
- Have you been overseas or travelled on a cruise ship in the last 14 days?
- Have you been in contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
- Are you in close contact with or caring for someone who is currently unwell?
- Have you currently or within the last 7 days been unwell or been aware of any of the following symptoms:
– fever, night sweats or chills
– cough
– runny nose
– sore or scratchy throat
– shortness of breath
The staff member or visitor’s accurate response to the question about fever can be supported through temperature testing on entry. If temperature testing is used in addition to the standard screening questions, it is recommended that a no-touch method is adopted such as an infra-red temperature detection “gun” device.
Visitations
States and territories have established directions giving effect to the AHPPC’s recommendation that visitors and staff (including visiting workers) should not be permitted to enter a residential aged care facility, if they have not been vaccinated against influenza (after 1 May 2020).
Residential aged care facilities may wish to display this poster at entrances, to alert anyone entering the facility of these flu vaccination requirements.
Infection prevention and control measures in residential aged care must be balanced with the well being and best interests of the residents. It is acknowledged that this balance is sometimes challenging to achieve. Aged care providers should assess the needs of both residents and their families, and be proportionate in their response to and application of the restrictions.
At its meeting on Tuesday (21 April), the National Cabinet discussed residential aged care facility (RACF) visitation restrictions and reaffirmed the visitation principles set out by the AHPPC and agreed by National Cabinet on March 18. The AHPPC also reinforced restricting visits and visitors that should be implemented by RACFs.
The National Cabinet has reconfirmed that RACFs should not permit visitors and staff to enter facilities, if they have:
- returned from overseas in the last 14 days
- been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days
- a fever or any (even mild) symptoms of acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath)
- not been vaccinated against influenza (after 1 May).
In relation to visits the following measures the AHPPC reinforced:
- Limiting visits to a short duration
- Limiting visits to a maximum of two visitors at one time per day. These may be immediate social supports (family members, close friends) or professional service or advocacy
- Visits should be conducted in a resident’s room, outdoors, or in a specific area designated by the RACF, rather than communal areas where the risk of transmission to residents is greater
- No large group visits or gatherings, including social activities or entertainment, should be permitted at this time
- No school groups of any size should be allowed to visit RACFs
- Children aged 16 years or less must be permitted to visit only by exception, as they are generally unable to comply with hygiene measures.
Visitors should also be encouraged to practise social distancing practices where possible, including maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres.
Measures such as phone or video calls must be accessible to all residents to enable more regular communication with family members. Family and friends should be encouraged to maintain contact with residents by phone and other social communication apps, as appropriate.
The AHPPC recommendations also state any staff with symptoms of acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath) should be excluded from the workplace and tested for COVID-19. Staff must report their symptoms to the RACF. Sick leave policies must also enable employees to stay home, if they have symptoms of respiratory infection.
Important processes
A reminder on some important processes that should be followed at all aged care facilities:
- If there is an outbreak in your facility, all staff and residents should be tested for COVID-19. An outbreak is when there is two or more confirmed cases in three days.
- Facilities should be recording if any of their staff work at multiple facilities or across services, whether for the same employer or another. This is important to contact trace if there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Discharging new and returning residents during COVID-19
The NSW Ministry of Health has developed advice for the safe and efficient discharge from hospital of new and returning residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The advice includes a screening process and a discharge summary template.
A consistent approach will provide confidence that all new and returning residents at the time of discharge from hospital to RACFs have been screened by an appropriate medical officer and:
- were not experiencing acute respiratory symptoms or fevers compatible with COVID-19 and
- had not had any close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient in hospital.
NSW Health will now include a letter in the discharge paper work signed by the treating team confirming the person has been screened for COVID-19 symptoms. A template can be found here.
Workers in RACF admitting residents returning from hospital should ensure they receive a copy of the discharge paperwork as part of their infection control management arrangements.
Royal Commission seeking submissions
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is calling for submissions from the general public and organisations relating to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the aged care sector.
The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2020.
Read the full media release on the website and visit the submissions page for more information.
International Student Nurses
On 18 March, the Commonwealth Government announced it will relax international student nurse visa work conditions to provide workforce continuity for aged care facilities, home care providers and other health care workers.
This will allow international student nurses and other aged care workers to work more than the 40 hours a fortnight that they are currently. This measure will be examined on an ongoing basis. There are currently around 900 approved providers of residential aged care employers and around 1,000 approved providers of Home Care Packages. There are currently around 20,000 international student nurses studying in Australia.
COVID-19 support package
On 1 May, the Prime Minister announced an additional COVID-19 specific support package for residential aged care providers, totalling $205 million. This translates to around $900 per resident in major metropolitan areas and around $1350 per resident in all other areas.
The funds are “aimed at ensuring aged care providers can offer reinforced levels of safety and care for those who need it most”.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) says the Federal Government must guarantee the funding is fully and directly used to employ more nurses and suitably-qualified care staff and ensure the availability of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aged care providers must address chronic understaffing and the ongoing shortages of PPE as a matter of urgency if Australia is to ensure the safety and protection of all residents.
Additional Commonwealth Funding
On 20 March, an additional $444.6 million in funding, including a retention bonus for workers, was announced for the aged care sector:
- $234.9 million for a COVID-19 ‘retention bonus’ to ensure the continuity of the workforce for staff in both residential and home care. This means:
– Full-time direct care workers in residential care facilities will receive a payment of up to $800 after tax per quarter, paid for two quarters.
– Full-time home care workers will receive payments of up to $600 after tax per quarter, paid for two quarters.
– Part-time direct care workers receive a pro-rata payment for the amount of time you work. For example, if you work two days a week, you’ll receive 40 per cent of the payment.
– Payments will be made via your employer with the first payment expected in June (for the preceding quarter). The second payment will be paid in September.
The Australian Government Department of Health has been working on the mechanisms, processes and guidelines in order to release these funds for workers and providers.
In addition:
- $78.3 million in additional funding for residential care to support continuity of workforce supply.
- $26.9 million to increase the residential and home care Viability Supplements and the Homeless Supplement (including increased viability payments for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program providers and Multi-Purpose Services).
- $92.2 million in additional support to home care providers and organisations which deliver the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, including for services such as meals on wheels.
- An extra $12.3 million to support the My Aged Care call centre to respond to the needs of older Australia.
Prior to this, the Commonwealth Government announced a $2.4 billion health care package, with $101.2 million dedicated to the aged care sector to:
- educate and train more aged care workers in infection control;
- enable aged care providers to hire extra nurses and aged care workers for both residential and home care; and
- bolster the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s capacity to ensure providers are stepping up infection control measures.
Other useful resources
- This document outlines special precautions when entering COVID-19 designated zones.
- COVID-19 factsheet for aged care workers. This is a 4 page document with information on things like visit restrictions, changes to work visa hours arrangements, when people should or shouldn’t come to work etc.
- Cleaning – the Health Department has provided guidance on Environmental cleaning for residential aged care facilities.
- Information for in-home care clients – “Its OK to have home care” – is designed so carers can print off and distribute before entering their clients home to reassure them that it is OK to continue to receive care
- Flowchart/poster on when to use PPE in aged care settings
- This document provides more detail on what kind of PPE to wear when treating suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and how to wear it
- PPE video from Australia’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, which provides a demonstration on how to appropriately use PPE
NSWNMA Support
If members are concerned their employer is not following the appropriate guidelines, the NSWNMA can provide assistance to ensure appropriate measures are in place. Contact us here.
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The NSWNMA will continue to provide further updates for members as we receive them. Contact us here.
