31 March 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines: Department of Health Disability Provider Alert (25 March 2022) and COVID-19 preparedness guide for people with disability

The Australian Government Department of Health (Department of Health) has issued a new Disability Provider Alert with updated vaccine information for disability providers. A guide for people with disability is available to support preparedness planning for COVID-19.

Key points

• The Department of Health has issued a new Disability Provider Alert with important information about additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for vulnerable groups, including people living in disability accommodation and preparing for winter.

• A guide is available to support people with disability in making their own preparations for COVID-19.
  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 (25 March 2022)

The Department of Health has issued a COVID-19 vaccination – Disability Provider Alert - 25 March 2022.

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

• recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) for additional COVID-19 vaccines doses for vulnerable groups, including residents of disability accommodation facilities
• advice from ATAGI regarding same day administration of the influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations
• options to organise Winter COVID-19 vaccinations for those who meet ATAGI’s definition of vulnerable groups at risk
• 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
• resources from Amaze to support people with autism to receive a 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.

Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness Planning for COVID-19 guide

The Queensland Government, University of Sydney and Queenslanders with Disability Network have developed a tailored guide for preparedness planning for COVID-19 for people with disability.

The guide provides links to trusted sources of information about COVID-19 in different formats to help people with disability get the information they need. It includes information about:

• understanding COVID-19 and how to protect yourself
• making a plan for how to manage during this public health emergency
• knowing what to do if you or someone who supports you experiences symptoms of COVID-19.

For more information, access the guide here.

You are encouraged to share information about this guide with participants you support as part of your own planning for managing continuity of support for participants during COVID-19.

The new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators for Emergency and Disaster Management released in November 2021 provide guidance on complying with your obligations to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of the NDIS participants you support during COVID-19 or future emergencies and disasters. This includes obligations for support planning with participants and for agreeing on service agreements that include arrangements for providing supports in the event of an emergency or disaster.

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.