The Department of Health issued a statement that From 1 May 2020, anyone entering a residential aged care facility will be required to provide appropriate evidence of flu vaccination. This applies to employees, residents, family visitors, friends, volunteers, suppliers, allied health providers, community transport and more.
For our residents and employees we facilitated free flu vaccinations from onsite in mini flu vaccination clinics (residents do have the right to refuse vaccination). All other visitors are required to seek vaccination from their GP or similar and obtain a certificate/evidence that they have had this vaccination. If they are unable to provide that they will not be permitted entry to Moran homes.
The Department of Health have issued the following information on the evidence they expect
“Residential aged care providers should seek appropriate evidence of immunisation status from individuals seeking to enter the service.
“Appropriate evidence may be a statement or record from a health practitioner, or an immunisation history statement available from Medicare Online or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app.
“Each state and territory requires that persons must not enter or remain on premises of residential aged care facilities if they do not have an up-to-date (ie. 2020) vaccination against influenza, if such a vaccination is available to them.”
“Tasmania and New South Wales do allow some exemptions to these requirements. Residential aged care providers may otherwise need to redeploy staff that are not able to be vaccinated.”
Serious penalties apply to non complying individuals and the aged care provider.
NSW – Public Health Act 2010 – Maximum penalty of imprisonment for 6 months or a fine of up to $11,000 or both plus a further $5,500 fine each day the offence continues.
VIC – Public Health & Wellbeing Act 2008 – For individuals the maximum penalty is $19,826.
We urge you to talk to other regular visitors, family and friends etc about the flu vaccination requirement for aged care visits so that they can prepare for visiting when we can confidently open up our homes to all visitors.
Evidence of flu vaccination can be emailed to fluvax2020@morangroup.com.au or future visitors can store a photo of their flu vaccination evidence on their mobile phone so that it is ready and available for when the time to visit comes.
We have eased our visitor restrictions for ESSENTIAL visits only and have a strict process for visitor bookings, if you would like to know more READ HERE.
If you have any questions please email info@morangroup.com.au