No images? Click here
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Provider Newsletter
12 May 2023
This newsletter is sent to the email address associated with your registration, which means that if you unsubscribe from this email, you are unsubscribing from other important correspondence from the NDIS Commission.
NDIS Commissioner's update
With the onset of winter, we must be prepared for increased outbreaks of COVID-19 and other winter illnesses. Did you know that vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 by more than 80%?
Talking with participants you support and providing assistance and support for them to access vaccination, continues to be vital. Many people with disability are at greater risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.
Providers have obligations to ensure the safety of participants and the continuity of supports during emergencies such as an illness outbreak, and this newsletter contains information on how to prepare for, prevent and manage these incidents.
I encourage you to review and act on the information in this newsletter, particularly in regards to vaccination, which remains our most important protection against COVID-19.
- Tracy Mackey
Provider spotlight
Achieve Australia used good practices in helping people with disability access COVID-19 vaccination.
Ricky Kremer from Council for Intellectual Disability talks to Achieve Australia's CEO Jo-Anne Hewitt about how they assisted with access to vaccinations in a new video from the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Resources
NDIS providers and workers have an obligation under the NDIS Code of Conduct to act with respect for individual rights, which extends to supporting participants to access COVID-19 vaccinations and to make informed choices about their medical care.
Planning for an outbreak of COVID-19 and taking precautions to minimise infection risks are important to meet obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct and keep participants and workers safe.
Our updated fact sheet on Outbreak preparedness, prevention and management supports registered NDIS providers to prepare for, respond to, and manage an outbreak of COVID-19.
Registered NDIS providers have additional obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards to have plans in place for the continuity of support to participants including during a COVID-19 outbreak.
Your planning must consider workforce contingencies in the event that COVID-19 affects the availability of your workers. For information on workforce support arrangements, visit the NDIS website.
As a condition of your registration, you must notify the NDIS Commission of any changes or events due to COVID-19 that affect your ability to support NDIS participants.
COVID-19 updates
- The Department of Health and Aged Care issued its next COVID-19 Disability Provider Alert on 1 May. This contains a Winter 2023 stakeholder kit with information on preparation for winter and supporting participants to receive vaccination.
- The COVID-19 vaccination – Disability provider alert 5 April 2023 offers advice on vaccination access and engagement with Primary Health Networks for in-reach vaccination support in disability residential accommodation.
- New guidelines have been released on the Control and public health management of outbreaks of acute respiratory infection (including COVID-19 and influenza) in disability residential services. For local requirements, check the Health Department website in your state or territory.
Your say
- We're seeking expressions of interest for our Consultative Committee. Find out more and apply at our website.
News in brief
- Three new grant opportunities for 2022-2023 are now open for applications. Visit Grants on our website for more information.
Connect with us
Stay in touch with the Commission on social media:
General Enquiries
1800 035 544 (free call from landlines)
Our contact centre is open 9am 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.
To provide feedback, contact the NDIS Commission by emailing
contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au.
Thanks for reading!
You can find past issues of the NDIS Commission provider newsletter on our website.
Our mailing address is: contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au