16 November 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Guidance for providers in South Australia 

In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia, this is a reminder of the guidance available to help you reduce the risk of infection and prevent an outbreak involving the people with disability you support and/or your workers.

Key points 

• Follow the current directions from SA Health. If you, your workers or the people you support experience even mild symptoms, arrange a COVID-19 test immediately and self-isolate until you receive the results.
• Encourage any members of your workforce who haven’t already done so, to complete the Australian Government Department of Health’s ‘Infection prevention and control’ training module, and watch the video guidance on how to wear PPE correctly.
• Review and test your business continuity plan to ensure you can manage the risks to the services you deliver to people with disability.

Follow health directions from SA Health

The SA Health website has updated information on the COVID-19 situation in South Australia, including current alerts and the details of COVID-19 clinics and testing centres.

Stay updated and follow health directions from SA Health to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection for the people you support, yourself and your workers.

If you experience even the mildest symptoms, get a COVID-19 test immediately. After the test, self-isolate at home until you receive the test result. Avoiding contact with other people from the time of symptom onset until you receive the test result is critical to helping limit the spread.

Infection prevention and control training

If any member of your workforce has not already completed the 30-minute free online training module, Infection prevention and control for COVID-19, please encourage them to this.

Developed by the Australian Government Department of Health, the module explains how COVID-19 is spread, how to protect yourself and the people you support, and what to do if symptoms develop.

If you have any technical questions about the training portal, email support@covid-19training.gov.au

Review your business continuity plan

All registered NDIS providers are expected to have plans for how organisation will manage during a crisis or disaster situation. It is important to review and test these plans to ensure you have adequate strategies in place to manage the risks of COVID-19 to your business, your staff and the people with disability you support.

We issued a provider alert on 19 March that contains more guidance on business planning.

Guidance on using PPE

Our fact sheet, Information for providers on the use of personal protective equipment, contains information about when PPE should be used, and how to access it.

Further, we remind you to watch and share with your workers the Australian Government Department of Health’s video, Coronavirus (COVID-19): Wearing personal protective equipment for disability workers. The video demonstrates how to put on and remove PPE correctly, and reminds workers to consider the effect that wearing PPE will have on the person with disability you support. 

Prepare for, respond to, and manage a COVID-19 outbreak

Our fact sheet, COVID-19 outbreak preparedness, prevention and management, contains practical guidance to support you to:

• ensure your workers take reasonable precautions to protect people with disability and themselves
• prepare for an outbreak of COVID-19
• respond to suspected or confirmed cases in different types of service settings
• manage an outbreak of COVID-19.

Further information, alerts and resources

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) information webpage on the NDIS Commission website contains links to updates, training, alerts and other resources.

We also have a COVID-19 webpage containing information for people with disability, and a webpage of frequently asked questions about COVID-19 for all stakeholders.

Contact Us

• Call: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines). Our contact centre is open 9.00am to 4.30pm in the NT, 9.00am to 5.00pm in the ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS and VIC Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
• Email: contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au
• Website: www.ndiscommission.gov.au

Links to previous COVID-19 provider alerts 

Visit the NDIS Commission website to see our previous COVID-19 provider alerts.