Disability provider alert

2 June 2021

Aspen Medical is now vaccinating people with disability living in residential accommodation housing with two or more people. This is continuing in the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Western Australia commenced this week.

The Australian Government has contracted Healthcare Australia (HCA) to support further expansion of the vaccine rollout. The focus will be on increasing capacity in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. They will start this work from mid-June.

A new national support payment of $150 per NDIS participant is now available for disability providers to assist NDIS supported independent living participants eligible within Phase 1a to attend offsite locations, including Commonwealth hubs, state clinics and GPs. Work will also be undertaken with the sector to support appropriate worker mobility arrangements in Victoria for disability residential services providers, where worker restrictions are required to ensure the safety of workers and NDIS participants.

Response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria

Immediate action is being taken to have people living in residential disability settings and disability workers vaccinated.

From Wednesday 2 June – Sunday 6 June, workers in residential disability will be prioritised at walk-in vaccination hubs around Victoria between 9am and 4pm. They will need to present evidence of their employment.

Disability workers are eligible for either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines depending on their age. They will be prioritised through the following participating vaccination centres:

• Royal Exhibition Building

• Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)

• Sandown Racecourse

• Melbourne Showgrounds

• Former Ford Factory – Geelong

• Bendigo Community Clinichealth.gov.au/covid19-vaccines Page 2

• Ballarat Mercure Hotel and Convention Centre

• Shepparton Showgrounds – McIntosh Centre

• Traralgon Racecourse

• Wodonga Vaccination Hub.

The Commonwealth will continue to be responsible for in-reach in disability residential settings.

Victoria will also work with providers to support access to state-run vaccination sites to increase the current low level of vaccinations. National Disability Insurance Scheme participants and other community members currently eligible for vaccination can also access their vaccinations at state-run vaccination sites.

How disability workers can get a COVID-19 vaccine

Disability workers are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They are strongly encouraged to get their vaccine to protect themselves and the community from the harmful effects of COVID-19.

Disability workers can now get vaccinated in multiple ways. This may include at their workplace if they are rostered on at the time when a vaccine provider is visiting residents at their site. Disability workers can also consider other options available to them.

These include:

• dedicated Pfizer vaccination clinics run by SONIC Healthcare for those under 50 years of age. Workers can make appointments via the Sonic Healthcare vaccinations website.

• State and territory operated clinics offering both Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Workers can contact their local state or territory department to make a booking. Local state and territory department contact details and websites is available here.

• GPs, Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services offering the AstraZeneca vaccine for those aged 50 years and over. These locations can be found through the Eligibility Checker.

More information and resources about COVID-19 vaccines for disability workers is available here.

Carers can also get a COVID-19 vaccine

Do you know people who care for a person with disability?

They are also eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who provide paid or unpaid care for someone who is:

• living with an underlying medical condition or eligible disability (including significant intellectual disability)

• attending centre-based care services such as day programs, respite care or supported employment

• living in residential disability accommodation or an aged care facility

• aged 70 years or over

• an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person 55 years and over

• a child with a specified underlying medical condition

Carers are also eligible to receive the vaccine if they volunteer and provide support (including transport and advocacy) to people:

• in their homes

• in respite care

• in educational, employment, leisure or residential settings.

Let carers know they can use the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker to find out when they can receive a vaccine.

They can also call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080.

If they need information in a language other than English, they can call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

A vaccination will help protect you, the person you support and your community. It’s free and voluntary. Find out more at the Department of Health website.

Available supports for NDIS providers

The following Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports are available nationally until 30 June 2021.

• Cleaning service and higher intensity support

• Clinical first response service

• Personal protective equipment (PPE)

• One-off deep clean

• Assistive technology

More information can be found on the NDIA website at: For providers - coronavirus (COVID19) | NDIS

Informed consent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

All Australians must give informed consent to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. It is important that people with disability understand what they are agreeing to, and that they understand:

• what the COVID-19 vaccine is and what it is for

• the benefits of the vaccine, and

• the risks of the vaccine.

Disability providers are responsible for obtaining consent from its residents to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is recommended that all disability providers do preliminary planning on gaining consent from its residents prior to the scheduled day of vaccination. This may require having conversations with family members, carers and/or substitute decisionmakers if relevant.

The Department of Health has developed a Consent Form. There is no requirement for disability providers to use the Department’s Consent Form. Disability providers can adapt usual consent processes to obtain informed consent.

Consent guidance material for providers of disability residential accommodation is available and provides detail about other consent issues. This includes:what consent people with disability need, recording evidence of informed consent, and access to supported decision-making tools and resources.

Guardians, carers and family members who need a consent form for someone they care for can download the Consent form for COVID-19 vaccination.

Resources to support people getting vaccinated

The Department of Health encourages disability providers to have vaccination resources available in Easy Read format and in other languages for people getting vaccinated. These resources cover all aspects of the vaccination process including preparing for COVID-19 vaccination and after the COVID-19 vaccination. You can download and print these from the Department of Health website.

For more information call the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080.

Read the Department of Health Disability Provider alert and access in PDF or accessible Word doc.