Introduction

Decent Care is responsible for the health and safety of their team members and participants. Due to the nature of the services provided, there is increased exposure to Covid-19 Virus and hence, increased risk to the safety of team members and participants. The Decent Care Covid-19 Pandemic Prevention and Management Policy outlines the strategies and procedures that are in place to prevent the transmission of infections between team members and participants.

Scope

This policy applies to all Decent Care team members and contractors who work with participants.

Policy

Decent Care will continue to deliver supports to NDIS participants and prioritise providing their immediate needs. Decent Care will ensure infection control strategies and procedures are trained to all team member involved in providing care to participants (see Infection and Prevention Control Policy and Procedure). Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) will be supplied, and team members will be trained in its use. Decent Care will ensure that infection control strategies and procedures are regularly assessed and consistent with current guidelines and standards. Any incidents raised in relation to Covid-19 will be reported to the NDIS Commission as required.

Decent Care will maintain NDIS provider obligations in relation to:

• Business Continuity
• NDIS Code of Conduct
• NDIS Practice Standards
• Conditions of registration
• Risk management
• Notifying the National Quality and Safeguards Commission of certain events including the ability to deliver ongoing supports to NDIS participants

Procedure

Notifying the NDIS Commission of certain events
As a condition of registration with the NDIS Commission, Decent Care will notify them of changes or events that adversely affect their ability to deliver supports and services to NDIS participants using the Notification of event – COVID-19 (registered provider) form.

This includes any change or event that:

• Significantly affects the ability to comply with conditions of registration and the NDIS Practice Standards
• Seriously impairs ability to effectively conduct operations and deliver ongoing supports or services to NDIS participants
• Adversely affects a person with disability to gain access to the supports or services that Decent Care are registered to deliver.

Notification will be made to the NDIS Commission of any changes to the scale of operations by emailing registrations@ndiscommission.gov.au, calling 1800 035 544 or completing the Notification of changes or events form – COVID19 (registered providers) on the NDIS Commission website.

Risk Management

• Decent Care will undertake a risk assessment of the supports and services that are provided. This includes the degree to which NDIS participants rely on the supports and services to meet their daily living needs, and the extent to which their health and safety would be affected, should those services be disrupted.
• Understand the specific needs of each participant and how they would like to receive information. Understand how this would be impacted if changes were made to existing service and support arrangements
• Ensure participant records are up-to-date and accessible, so that their support needs and preferences are clear, documented, and available should new or temporary team member be required to support them. Records might include participants preferred means of communication, specific needs and preferences, health care plans, behaviour support plans, their representatives and information of other support providers
• If possible, understand any informal supports and services that may be available to the person with disability.

Communicate effectively
Decent Care will ensure all stakeholders are aware of their roles and responsibilities under the plan. This will occur through:

• Familiarising team member and any third parties with the business continuity arrangements (See Business Continuity Emergency Management Plan and Covid-19 Plan)
• Familiarising team members with policies, procedures, and responsibilities regarding infection control
• Make sure clear communication channels are in place with all NDIS participants that Decent Care supports. This will enable the effective communication of any changes that might be required to a participant’s supports and services. Where Government restrictions limit public gatherings and closure of certain facilities and businesses, exploration of alternatives for activities or supports that must be ceased or adjusted must be considered.

Strategies to prepare for potential organisational outbreak include:

• Having leave entitlements to ensure that all team members, regardless of their employment status, can access leave to allow them to self-isolate if required.
• Temporary changes have been made to awards (including to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010) to include a minimum entitlement of 2 weeks unpaid pandemic leave
• Maintaining an up-to-date contact list of all team members, including casual or agency team members. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has links for platforms who match providers with new or backup support workers, streamlining the on boarding of new team members to maintain health, wellbeing, and safety, and avoid risk of harm
• Ensure all team members have updated training in infection control procedures, including standard precautions (hand hygiene, correct use of appropriate PPE where needed (and disposal procedures), and cough and sneeze etiquette) and transmission-based precautions (contact and droplet precautions)
• Ensure all team members have undertaken the Department of Health COVID-19 infection control training
• Implement standard infection control precautions
• Establish communication channels to keep team members informed of any updates or changes to business processes as a result of the outbreak. This includes contracted or agency team member, such as cleaners
• Undertake a stocktake of consumables and source additional supplies if necessary. This could include compiling an ‘outbreak kit’ with items such as:
  • personal protective equipment
  • hand hygiene products (hand sanitiser, liquid soap)
  • cleaning supplies
  • other essential supplies such as toilet paper and food.
• Plan for increased environmental cleaning, including where additional cleaners and oversight is required
• Identify any participants who have advance care or healthcare or support plans and keep a copy if possible. Additionally, prepare a hospital bag with things they might need for an overnight stay
• Develop an emergency plan for participants. This should contain details of the participant’s emergency contacts (e.g. family, guardian or advocate), current GP, any medical conditions as well as ongoing treatment and current medications, including dose and frequency
• Where in-home support is provided to participants, team members should:
  • consider how the service would monitor their safety and wellbeing if they could not receive services temporarily
  • make a record of participants who can only be contacted by a face-to-face visit (that is, if they cannot use the phone independently)
  • give the participant and their family, guardian, or advocate contact details of someone they can call if there is a change to their health condition or circumstances (such as, if they develop symptoms, are in self-isolation or have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case)

Criteria for when team members should not come to work or have contact with participants
All team members should take reasonable precautions to continue to provide supports and services in a safe and competent manner with care and skill and to keep themselves and others safe. Team members must not go to work if they have:

• a fever, or even mild symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, sore throat,
• runny nose or nasal congestion, tiredness or loss of smell or taste
• returned from overseas or interstate in the last 14 days
• been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

If a team member experiences even mild symptoms of respiratory illness (such as those outlined above), they must report those symptoms to their Team Leader. If they experience any of these symptoms for the first time during a shift, they should leave work as soon as practicable, report their symptoms as identified above, get tested for COVID-19, and seek medical advice from their doctor or call the National Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 020 080.

Training
Decent Care team members will be trained in this policy and access an online training module. The training covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control (IPC) for COVID-19.