Dear In relation to COVID-19 and further to my emails of 16 and 20 March, I wanted to keep you informed of ongoing developments, which are moving rapidly. As you may be aware, late yesterday, the Prime Minister made an announcement that non-essential services (e.g cinemas, casinos, gyms etc) are not allowed to operate throughout this period. You can view the announcement here. Given the important role audiologists play in public health, today I have sought clarification as to what this announcement means to you as audiologists, working in a range of settings including private clinics and hospitals. While audiologists are not specifically referred to in the current Department of Health advice, “essential activities” include medical and health care facilities where it is necessary for their normal operation, although other social distancing and hygiene practices may be required in these settings. On this basis, health care settings would include audiologists, making it an essential service as currently defined. However, it would be up to each audiology clinic whether they decide to remain open or not at this point in time in accordance with the latest Department of Health advice. General advice from the Department of Health including matters of guidelines, using personal protective equipment and more can be found here. This fact sheet contains further information for health care workers. As this situation is constantly evolving, we will continue to keep you updated via our website. Some recently-added information on this page includes:
This page will be updated as further information becomes available and I will continue to be in contact with you via email. Please contact us at info@audiology.asn.au or call 03 9940 3900 with any concerns or questions you may have. Please take care, and thank you for your patience as we have worked through the rapidly changing landscape and the implications it may have on the hearing health sector. Other matters: 1. CPD cycle (1 July 2019 - 30 June 2020) With COVID-19 impacting on members’ abilities to be able to engage in CPD activities, we have determined that all Audiology Australia Accredited Audiologist Members will be granted a 5-point reduction under the hardship allowance for the current cycle. This means you now need to achieve 15 points by 30 June 2020, instead of 20 points. These 15 points can be achieved in any category (or categories) without restriction. If you have confirmed a previous arrangement for a greater than 5 point reduction based on hardship or personal circumstances such as maternity leave, those arrangements will stand. E.g if you had previously arranged a 10 point reduction, your rate will remain at 10 points. If you had previously confirmed a reduction of fewer than five points (e.g 2.5 points), you now will receive the full 5 point reduction and need to meet 15 points by 30 June. If you need to speak to a member of the Audiology Australia team about your CPD requirements, please email info@audiology.asn.au or call 03 9940 3900. 2. The AudA 2020 Conference The AudA 2020 Conference has been postponed. This was a challenging decision, but we feel it was the right one in the current environment, and we appreciate the many members who have offered their support for a rescheduled event. We are currently examining potential dates and further information will be communicated in the coming days. We thank you for your patience as we work through the considerable logistics involved in moving such a large event. We are also developing a 'virtual conference' experience to be held during May to support members to access professional development opportunities in the current cycle. Further information will be available soon. For further information about the Conference, visit https://auda2020conference.asn.au/covid-19/ Yours sincerely Dr Tony Coles CEO Audiology Australia |