23 December 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines: Important reminder: Booster access and outbreak preparedness

As COVID-19 cases continue to increase across all states and territories, NDIS providers are strongly encouraged to support NDIS participants to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, and boosters where eligible, as soon as possible. Providers should also ensure plans are in place to prevent and manage infection outbreaks and to enable continuity of support.

Key points

• ATAGI recommends a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to anyone in Australia aged 18 years and over where they completed their primary course of a COVID-19 vaccination at least five months ago. 
• Providers that received in-reach support for primary course doses are eligible for the booster in-reach program.
• Review your business continuity and contingency plans to ensure that continuity of critical supports can be maintained during infection outbreaks and while complying with the new vaccination requirements.
• 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.
• From 23 December 2021, eligible supported independent living (SIL) participants and providers can claim up to $12.50 per rapid antigen test (RAT) when a support worker is required to undergo COVID-19 testing to safely deliver supports to a participant.

Booster doses

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has provided a statement about the timing of booster dose administration.

Due to an increase in confirmed COVID cases and the likelihood of ongoing transmission of both Omicron and Delta variants, ATAGI recommends COVID-19 booster vaccination for anyone aged 18 and older, as long as they have completed their primary course of COVID-19 vaccination five or more months ago.

Booster doses are recommended to maintain immunity against COVID-19.

ATAGI is not currently recommending booster doses for:

• people aged 12 to 17 years
• people who are severely immunocompromised and have already had a third dose.

Read ATAGI’s advice on COVID-19 booster doses.

The NDIS Commission strongly encourages NDIS providers to take all necessary steps to support participants to access COVID-19 vaccination and boosters.

Booster in-reach program

The Australian Government Department of Health (Department of Health) has commenced the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination booster in-reach program to eligible group residential accommodation providers.

Providers that received in-reach support for primary course doses are eligible for the booster in-reach program, and will be contacted directly by a Commonwealth vaccination provider to organise booster doses.

If your group residential accommodation setting received primary course doses through another channel but requires in-reach for the booster or any remaining initial doses, you can request support by:

1. Emailing DisabilityCovidVaccineDelivery@health.gov.au
2. Include the subject line: 'Request for in-reach vaccination for disability residential setting'.
3. Provide details for a nominated contact point at the residential care setting for Health to contact.

Refer to our 7 December 2021 provider alert for more information.

Webinar - COVID-19 Vaccination Consent, Hesitancy and Refusal

The Department of Health recently held a webinar for disability service providers on issues of vaccination consent, hesitancy and refusal that can arise when supporting clients with intellectual disability. 

Access the webinar recording here.

New practice standards for emergency and disaster management

The NDIS Commission has introduced new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators for registered NDIS providers. The new Emergency and Disaster Management Practice Standards and Quality Indicators apply to existing registered NDIS providers from Monday 24 January 2022.

These new standards and quality indicators will support registered providers in the delivery of safe and quality supports and services to NDIS participants in times of emergency and disaster, including sustained disruptions such as COVID-19.

Registered NDIS provider obligations

Compliance with state laws is a condition of registration

Registered NDIS providers are required to comply with public health orders or directions that are in force in the states and territories in which they operate, as a condition of registration. This includes orders or directions related to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for disability workers as well as those that relate to restrictions on activities that may be in force from time to time.

Providers should regularly monitor state and territory government websites for updates to public health orders and directions and any related guidance.

Business continuity and outbreak management planning

All registered NDIS providers are reminded of their obligations for ensuring continuity of critical supports for participants, and to ensure that sound plans are in place for business continuity and for contingencies in the event of emergencies and disasters, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators for Emergency and Disaster Management provide further guidance for providers on their obligations. The new standards apply to registered providers from 24 January 2022.

It is particularly important that providers in South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, who have not experienced high infection rates, review your plans for continuity including your contingency plans for managing the impact on your workforce and any workforce shortages. This may include engaging with other providers in your networks and industry peak bodies to explore options for supporting workforce availability in the event of outbreaks or exposure to infection that require workers or participants to isolate.

You are encouraged to engage with workers on their vaccination status and their plans for vaccination in light of public health orders in your state or territory. These discussions should inform your business continuity and contingency plans, and outbreak management plans.

Refer to our provider alert of 6 August 2021. You can find more information including FAQs on our website.

Notification of changes or events

Registered NDIS providers must notify the NDIS Commission 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. If the changes or events result from the COVID-19 outbreak, including infections of participants or workers and impacts on your workforce, you must use the COVID-19 notification of events form to report these changes.

The 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.  

Promoting access to COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters

Supporting NDIS participants to access COVID-19 vaccinations

All NDIS participants aged 12 years and over are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants aged 18 years and older are also eligible for a booster dose if they have completed their primary course of a COVID-19 vaccination at least five months ago.  

The Acting Commissioner has 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 (with mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, including disability workers):

• Victoria
• Northern Territory
• New South Wales
• Western Australia
• Australian Capital Territory
• Tasmania
• South Australia
• Queensland

Providers are strongly encouraged to check the details of the public health orders in the states or territories in which they operate and any requirements for providers in respect of the vaccination status of disability workers.

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. 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 in preparation for complying with the notice.

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.

COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) eligibility and claiming

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has announced that from 23 December 2021, eligible supported independent living (SIL) participants and providers can claim up to $12.50 per rapid antigen test (RAT) when a support worker is required to undergo COVID-19 testing to safely deliver supports to a participant.

Visit the NDIA website 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.