Being prepared - Updating your outbreak management plan

As a result of high vaccination rates across the country, state borders are opening and more people are travelling to visit their loved ones.

Vaccination levels are increasing every day, but vaccinated people can still transmit COVID-19.

Living with COVID-19, including increased movement of people, brings an increased risk that your aged care service will be impacted by a positive COVID-19 case.

We want all providers and facilities to:

• talk to their staff about how to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak which impacts their service: residential or home care
• Check your readiness against the Outbreak Checklist
• test your outbreak management plan and make sure all staff know their role
• make sure all home care consumers and staff are aware of the emergency plans for each consumer
• refresh Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) skills and practices
• make sure you have enough resources to manage an outbreak, including options to source additional staff
• familiarise themselves with the public health response and orders for their jurisdiction
• report the outbreak to the Department of Health by emailing agedcareCOVIDcases@health.gov.au within an hour
• engage with residents and workers to discuss the upcoming booster clinics. While two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine offers very good protection, encouraging a booster dose will help to achieve the best vaccination coverage for residents and workers.

Helpful resources:

• Advice on Health.gov.au on how to prevent and prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak in RACFs or for in-home aged care services
• Advice from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) on how to prepare an outbreak management plan
• A guide to the first 24 hours (updated) in managing a COVID-19 outbreak in a residential aged care facility
• Preparing your facility, residents and workers for a booster clinic.

Find out more by attending our webinar on Monday 13 December 2021. More information, including dial in details, can be found on the National Webinar on Aged Care COVID-19 Preparedness – 13 December 2021 webpage.