Dear 

Re: COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccinations for primary health care workers

I am writing to inform you about a new mandatory vaccination public health direction introduced by the WA Government to limit the spread of COVID-19 that will affect you as a health care worker practising in WA. 

Previously, the WA Government announced mandatory vaccination requirements that apply to health care workers working in public and private hospitals and public healthcare facilities. 

The new public health direction requires:

1. On and from 12.01am on 1 November 2021, a person who is a primary health care worker must not enter or remain at a primary health care facility if the primary health care worker has not been partially vaccinated against COVID-19
2. On and from 12.01am on 1 December 2021, a person who is a primary health care worker must not enter or remain at a primary health care facility if the primary health care worker has not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19

“Partially vaccinated” means that the person has been administered with at least one dose of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine. “Fully vaccinated” means that the person has been administered with two doses of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine. 

Please note that this means that the mandatory vaccination requirement now extends to audiologists working in private practice settings in WA. This is because an audiologist is considered to be a “primary health care worker” providing services in a “primary health care facility” under the public health direction. 

“Primary health care facilities” include:

• a general practice
• a health clinic, including but not limited to a medical specialist operated clinic and an allied health professional operated clinic. “Allied health professional” means a person working in an allied health profession. Allied health is defined to include “audiology” 
• a community health centre
• an Aboriginal health service
• a service provider officer or site – an individual, association or corporation that provides a health service to patients in the community
• a mobile health vehicle
• a research institute where patients attend the premises for research purposes

A “primary health care worker” includes: 

• a person who provides health services to a patient at a primary health care facility who is employed, volunteers or a third party who provides goods and services at the primary health care facility. Under the public health direction, a “health service” includes allied health services and the definition of “allied health” includes audiology
• a person who is a student and undertakes a placement, registration or internship at a primary health care facility as a formal part of their education
• a person who provides goods or services at a primary health care facility, including:
  • a person who is employed or engaged by a third party who provides goods and services at the primary health care facility including a labour hire firm who provides staff to supplement the permanent workforce
  • a direct care worker
  • administrative staff member

The mandatory vaccination requirement does not apply if:

• a primary health care worker has a medical exemption. Immunisation medical exemption criteria is available from the Australian Government website.
• a sole primary health care worker is providing a health service solely by telehealth and there is no attendance by a patient at the premises at any time.
• only part of a premises is being used as a primary health care facility, nothing in the directions prevents a primary health care worker who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 from entering or remaining upon that part of the premises which is not being used as a primary health care facility

Please stay safe, and if there is anything we can do to assist you during this time, please don't hesitate to contact the office on 03 9940 3900 or email: info@audiology.asn.au

Yours sincerely 

Dr Tony Coles

CEO

Audiology Australia
Suite 101, 13 Cremorne Street Cremorne, VIC 3121
ABN: 31 168 531 324 | p: 03 9940 3900 | e: info@audiology.asn.au | w: www.audiology.asn.au