No images? Click here 17 February 2022 Coronavirus (COVID-19): Continuity of support obligations and outbreak preparedness in Western AustraliaWith the escalating COVID-19 situation, all providers are reminded of their obligations regarding continuity of critical supports. Outbreak management and business continuity plans should be reviewed.Key points
Provider obligations regarding continuity of critical supports The COVID-19 pandemic does not change the obligations of NDIS providers, both registered and unregistered, under the NDIS Code of Conduct. These obligations are to protect and prevent people with disability from experiencing harm arising from poor quality or unsafe supports, abuse, neglect and exploitation, or poorly managed changes to supports. As a registered NDIS provider, you also have obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards, as well as your conditions of registration, that relate to:
This includes identifying and managing risks of possible COVID-19 infection of yourself, your workers and people you otherwise engage to deliver NDIS supports, as well as the risk of infection of NDIS participants. The withdrawal of critical supports and services without consultation with a participant and their support network could constitute a breach of the NDIS Code of Conduct or NDIS Practice Standards. Infection prevention should be a focus of your outbreak planning. If a participant you provide critical supports to tests positive to COVID-19 or is identified as a close contact, you should:
Notification of changes or events You must notify the NDIS Commissioner of any change or event that significantly affects your ability to comply with any of your conditions of registration, including compliance with the NDIS Practice Standards. For COVID-19 related matters you must use the COVID-19 notification of events form to report these changes. This includes notifying cases of COVID-19 infection among participants you support and your workers, any changes you make to the delivery of supports and services you are registered to provide and significant workforce shortages. Notifying of COVID-related changes and events is important. It allows the NDIS Commission to monitor and respond to risks for people with disability, including referring information to the NDIA where there are risks to the continuity of critical supports for participants and additional assistance may be needed. Your requirements to notify the NDIS Commission of reportable incidents under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 are separate from the COVID-19 notification of changes or events and remain unchanged. Outbreak preparedness Registered NDIS providers have obligations to have outbreak management and business continuity plans which:
You should refer to the new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators, including those for Emergency and Disaster management, to be clear on your obligations as a registered provider. For guidance on preventing and managing COVID-19 outbreaks in disability residential settings, please refer to the Communicable Diseases Network Australia’s (CDNA) disability supplement. Additionally, the NDIS Commission’s fact sheet on outbreak preparedness provides information on preparing for, preventing and managing an outbreak in disability settings. You should consider the following as part of your emergency planning and preparedness:
Supporting participants
Infection control
Communications
Promoting access to COVID-19 Vaccinations Supporting NDIS participants to access COVID-19 vaccinations All NDIS participants aged 5 years and over are now 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:
Vaccination advice and information for disability workers All states and territories have issued public health orders or directions (with mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, including disability workers):
Providers are strongly encouraged to check the details of the public health orders in the states or territories in which they operate and any updated requirements for providers in respect of the vaccination status of disability workers, including any requirements for booster doses. Our 22 November 2021 provider alert was sent to NDIS providers that are registered to deliver intensive support services to NDIS participants. It contained details about a request for information under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 regarding the COVID-19 vaccination status of workers. Our 10 February 2022 letter contained important information about a variation to the original request for information. The request for information was also sent to additional providers that are registered to deliver intensive support services to NDIS participants on 11 February 2022. It is a condition of registration that registered providers comply with such a notice under the NDIS Act and providers are strongly encouraged to take any necessary steps to comply with the notice. The Department of Health has dedicated information pages for disability service providers about COVID-19 vaccines.
The Department of Health will continue to update the information on these pages, so we strongly encourage you to visit these pages regularly. NDIS Commission COVID-19 information 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. General Enquiries1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) Our contact centre is open 9.00am to 5.00pm (9.00am to 4.30pm in the NT) Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. To provide feedback, contact the NDIS Commission by emailing |