All providers are required to ensure their workforce COVID-19 vaccination and exemption data is updated via My Aged Care.
It is critical providers are keeping their data via My Aged Care as up to date as possible prior to 17 September 2021.
From 17 September onwards, the data you report will be used to assess your compliance with mandatory COVID‑19 vaccination requirements as outlined in the relevant public health orders in your state or territory.
FAQs on exemptions to mandatory COVID‑19 vaccination in residential aged care
A fact sheet addressing some of the most common questions around exemptions is now available on the department's website.
The fact sheet covers:
- The difference between an exemption and an exception
- How to report exemptions in My Aged Care
- What constitutes a permanent medical exemption versus a temporary medical exemption
- Exemptions and pregnancy
- Exemptions and exceptions related to accessing a vaccine
- Exemptions and exceptions related to staffing levels
- Exemptions specific to a State or Territory public health order
- Evidence required to prove an exemption
- Record keeping in relation to exemptions
With the deadline for mandatory vaccination now just a few days away, it is critical that providers, facility managers and IPC leads understand the requirements for accepting, recording and reporting vaccination information accurately.
Reporting vaccination information in My Aged Care when you have multiple outlet IDs at one site
Providers that have multiple My Aged Care outlets co-located at one residential aged care site and operate as one service are requested to use one outlet ID for reporting their worker and resident vaccination information in My Aged Care.
To drive consistency in the My Aged Care data, it is crucial that those providers operating multiple My Aged Care outlets from one residential aged care site are reporting the same way.
If you operate multiple My Aged Care outlets from one site, but the facility operates substantially as one, please choose one outlet ID to report against, and report “zero” against the other co-located IDs. Please do not duplicate your reported information for each co-located outlet. Conversely, where possible, please do not split your workers and residents across the co-located outlet IDs, unless the sites are operating completely independently, as different facilities.
Recording all workers and residents against a single outlet ID will ensure we have an accurate view of vaccine need, and ensure that public reporting of vaccination rates is accurate.