7 April 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines: Department of Health Disability Provider Alert (4 April 2022)

The Australian Government Department of Health (Department of Health) has issued a new Disability Provider Alert with updated vaccine information for disability providers. COVID-19 Winter vaccination doses are now available for eligible people including those living in shared disability accommodation settings.

Key points

• The Department of Health has issued a new Disability Provider Alert with important information about preparing for winter and an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable groups.
• COVID-19 Winter dose vaccinations are recommended for individuals who are most at risk of severe complications and serious illness, including people who are severely immunocompromised and people living in shared disability accommodation settings.
• Providers play an important role in supporting participants to access COVID-19 vaccination and a winter dose where eligible, should they choose. 
• Providers supporting people in shared disability accommodation settings can organise in-reach support for winter doses via local Primary Health Networks or through the Commonwealth in-reach vaccination program. Providers should take steps now to plan for and schedule arrangements for winter doses.
• All NDIS participants and disability workers are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Information and support to access COVID-19 vaccinations should be facilitated, to both NDIS participants and workers.

Department of Health provider alert (4 April 2022)

The Department of Health has issued a COVID-19 vaccination – Disability Provider Alert - 4 April 2022.

The alert contains important information about the continued rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, including:

• winter dose program for people with disability living in shared residential accommodation
• continuing support from the Commonwealth for in-reach vaccinations to people with disability living in shared residential accommodation
• eligibility for a winter COVID-19 dose
• statement from ATAGI regarding mandatory third doses for disability workers
• importance of booster doses to build protection against COVID-19
• financial support for providers to assist NDIS participants to receive their COVID-19 vaccination
• assistance pathways available to people with disability and their support networks, including via the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccine Helpline (phone 1800 020 080) and the Disability Gateway.

We encourage you to read the Department of Health provider alert for the full details.

COVID-19 Winter doses

Australia is heading into the Influenza (the flu) season and it is expected there will be an increase in respiratory viruses such as influenza, as well as in COVID-19 cases, this year.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends people most at risk of severe complications and those most at risk of serious illness should receive a Winter COVID-19 vaccine dose. This includes:

• adults aged 65 years and older
• residents of aged care or disability accommodation facilities
• people aged 16 years and older who are severely immunocompromised (as defined in a previous ATAGI statement)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 50.

ATAGI recommends these people should receive their COVID-19 Winter dose from 4 months after their initial booster dose.

COVID-19 Winter dose program

Providers continue to play a vital role in supporting NDIS participants to access  accurate and accessible information about vaccination against COVID-19 and in supporting participants to receive the vaccine, including a winter dose where eligible, when they need support to do so.

Winter doses are available via a variety of channels including:

• Primary care providers such as GPs and pharmacies
• By working with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to identify primary health care in-reach options for people living in disability accommodation settings
• Commonwealth in-reach vaccination for people living in disability accommodation settings.

If providers need support in organising a primary care provider, you can contact your local PHN for help in finding local primary care options. If a primary care provider is not available to complete the in-reach vaccination, the PHN will then arrange Commonwealth in-reach.

The Commonwealth Government will continue to actively offer in-reach vaccinations to disability accommodation settings, including through GPs and pharmacies. In-reach clinics provided by Commonwealth Vaccination Administration Provider Program (VAPP) providers continue to be available as a vaccination pathway where primary care channels, such as GPs and pharmacies, are not available.

Providers seeking Commonwealth in-reach support for winter dose vaccination can submit an EOI form to the Department of Health here.

Promoting access to COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters

Supporting NDIS participants to access COVID-19 vaccinations

All NDIS participants aged 5 years and over are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants aged 16 and older are also eligible for a booster dose if they have completed their primary course of a COVID-19 vaccination at least three months ago. We have published a statement about the right of people with disability to make their own decision about COVID-19 vaccination, and the role of NDIS providers and workers in supporting participants. This was sent to registered providers on 5 November 2021. 

Providers should take all steps to assist participants that they support to access the vaccination where they need assistance to do so, including boosters. Further information is available on the Department of Health website, including Easy Read and Auslan resources.

Our provider alert of 9 June 2021 contained resources to help you to support participants to understand the vaccination process and to provide informed consent.

Our fact sheet, called ‘COVID-19 Vaccines: Informed consent, preparing for the vaccine, and restrictive practices’, aims to assist NDIS providers to better understand their obligations when supporting people with disability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Department of Health has published a COVID-19 vaccination consent form in easy read format.

To assist people with disability to learn more about COVID-19 booster doses, the Department of Health has also developed the following easy read resources:

• Fact sheet about the third dose
• Fact sheet about the booster dose
• Fact sheet about the difference between the third dose and a booster dose.

Vaccination advice and information for disability workers

All states and territories have issued public health orders or directions relating to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, including disability workers.

Providers are strongly encouraged to check the details of the public health orders or directions in their state or territory, including any new or updated requirements for providers in respect of booster vaccinations and dates for compliance with the requirements of the order. Public health orders are generally published on state and territory government or health department websites.

Consistent with obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct and, where registered, the NDIS Practice Standards, to provide supports and services in a manner and environment that is safe for participants, you should ensure that your organisation and your workers comply with any requirements of public health orders or directions for mandatory booster vaccination in the states or territories in which you operate.

You are encouraged to engage with workers on their vaccination status and their plans for booster vaccination.

Please ensure that you and your workers understand what the requirements are, and how they affect the supports and services you deliver.

Disability vaccination clinics have been established to help the disability workforce get vaccinated in the fastest way possible, specific to their circumstances. Further information for workers about COVID-19 vaccination is available on the Department of Health webpage for disability workers.

The Department of Health has dedicated information pages for disability service providers about COVID-19 vaccines.

• Providers: The webpage for disability service providers contains information and resources to help you plan for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
• Disability workers: The webpage for disability workers contains information and resources about COVID-19 vaccines for disability workers.

The Department of Health will continue to update the information on these pages, so we strongly encourage you to visit these pages regularly.

Vaccination reporting requirements

Registered providers delivering intensive support services are reminded of the arrangements for monitoring provider compliance with the condition of registration that requires compliance with public health orders or directions relating to COVID-19 vaccination requirements, including booster doses.

Registered providers delivering intensive support services are required to report worker vaccination information to the NDIS Commission. Refer to our NDIS workforce vaccination page for more information.

NDIS Commission COVID-19 vaccine information and resources

The COVID-19 vaccine information webpage on our website contains links to updates about COVID-19 vaccines and resources for NDIS providers.

We also have a COVID-19 vaccine webpage containing information for people with disability.