12 November 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines: AHPPC statement on mandating vaccination for disability support workers

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has published a statement that recommends mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for disability workers providing intensive supports to NDIS participants.

Key points

• The AHPPC recommends mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for disability workers who provide intensive support services to NDIS participants.
• All states and territories have now issued public health orders or directions relating to COVID-19 vaccination requirements for disability workers.
• Providers are encouraged to engage with workers on their vaccination status and their plans for vaccination.
• Registered NDIS providers are required to comply with their state or territory public health orders and directions as a condition of registration. Review your business continuity and contingency plans to ensure that continuity of critical supports can be maintained while complying with the new vaccination requirements.
• The NDIS Commission will provide further information to registered providers about 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.

AHPPC statement supporting mandatory vaccination

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) is the key decision making committee for health emergencies. It is comprised of all state and territory Chief Health Officers and is chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer.

The AHPPC has announced that it recommends mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for disability support workers who provide intensive support services to NDIS participants as a condition of work or entry to the participants’ accommodation. It notes that mandating of vaccination for disability support workers providing services and supports to people with disability provides an important protection for people with disability during the COVID-19 emergency. The AHPPC has defined a disability support worker as being: (a) a person who is providing intensive disability support services to (b) persons with disability by (c) a person engaged by a registered NDIS provider or a state or territory government.

Intensive disability support services are defined as:

• assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living environment
• group and centre based activities that assist people with disability to access community, social and recreational activities in groups involving skilled and experienced support staff
• specialist supported employment which assist people with disability who have high support needs to maintain work in a social enterprise for example, sometimes referred to as Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs)
• assistance with daily personal activities - assistance with, or supervision of, personal tasks of daily life to develop skills of the participant to live as autonomously as possible
• community nursing care to respond to the disability related health needs of a participant where that care is not the usual responsibility of the health system
• therapeutic supports to facilitate functional improvement aimed at adjustment, adaption, and building capacity for community participation.

You can read the statement from the AHPPC on the Department of Health website.

Mandatory vaccination requirements in local jurisdictions

All states and territories have now issued public health orders or directions relating to 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 or directions in their state or territory and dates for compliance with the requirements of the order, including requirements for providers in respect of the vaccination status of disability workers.

You should monitor your state or territory website for any updates to orders or requirements and any additional guidance that may be issued.

Consistent with obligations of registered providers under the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIS Practice Standards to provide supports and services in a manner and environment that is safe for participants, providers should ensure that they and their disability workers comply with the requirements of public health orders or directions for mandatory vaccination in their state or territory.

Registered NDIS Provider obligations

Compliance with state laws is a condition of registration

Registered NDIS providers are required to comply with their state or territory public health orders as a condition of registration.

Business continuity and outbreak management planning

All registered NDIS providers are reminded of their obligations regarding continuity of critical supports, and to review business continuity and contingency plans for emergencies and disasters.

You are encouraged to engage with workers on their vaccination status and their plans for vaccination. These discussions should inform your business continuity and contingency plans, and outbreak management plans.

Refer to our provider alert of 6 August 2021.

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 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.  

Monitoring provider compliance

The NDIS Commission will provide further information to registered providers about arrangements for monitoring provider compliance with conditions of their registration in respect of local public health orders relating to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Supporting workers to access the COVID-19 vaccine

You are encouraged to engage with workers on their vaccination status and their plans for vaccination.

Please ensure that you and your workers understand what these new requirements are, and how they affect the supports and services you deliver. Encourage your workers to arrange a vaccination.

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. 

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.

IMPORTANT CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL PROVIDERS

As vaccination rates increase across Australia and governments continue to make plans to ease community restrictions - it is vital that people with disability are supported, in whatever way they require, to access vaccinations.

You have an important role to play!

There are a number of actions you can take today:

• Talk about vaccination to the people with disability that you support
• Offer assistance, where needed, to access information about vaccination from reliable and trusted sources, such as the person’s GP
• Provide active support to make an appointment and to attend vaccination appointments.

Please refer to:

• the letter sent to CEOs by the Acting Commissioner on 21 September 2021
• the statement by the Acting Commissioner 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

Further information is available on the Department of Health website, including Easy Read and Auslan resources.

Vaccinations can be booked by visiting the Vaccine Clinic Finder or by contacting the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080. The Disability Gateway is now also assisting people with disability that might need help to book a COVID-19 vaccine.