Last Friday we received notification from the Australian Government Department of Health regarding the commencement of phase 1b of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.
It is an honour to be invited into your home to provide you with help and support. We will continue to work hard to keep you up-to-date and ensure you receive safe, kind and flexible help and care in your home during these uncertain times.
On 22 March, an email was sent to all NDIS Participants and authorised representatives with the following information.
Phase 1b commenced on Monday March 22nd and includes:
- All workers providing in-home and community care
- Adults with a specified medical condition
- People 18 years and over with an underlying medical condition, including disability. This includes people with disability who require frequent assistance with activities of daily living as well as people living with Down Syndrome, muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, or severe intellectual disability. People with disability attending centre-based services (e.g day programmes, respite care supported employment) are also eligible
- Carers and disability support volunteers who meet set criteria
A full list of people eligible under phase 1b can be found on the Commonwealth Department of Health website here. You can also check your own eligibility by using the Eligibility Checker. The Commonwealth Government has also provided this Disability fact sheet.
Is vaccination mandatory?
At this stage, the Commonwealth Government has not mandated COVID-19 vaccination. It is voluntary and free. However, Commonwealth and State health departments and expert health advisors such as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) strongly encourage vaccination.
What is Five Good Friends position?
To ensure the safety and wellbeing our Members and the community, Five Good Friends is supporting and recommending vaccination. We understand there may be reasons (eg: medical) that prevent vaccination. Based on expert health advice from organisations including the AHPPC, the Australian governments may issue enforceable directives and public health orders in the future, which specify mandatory requirements to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to work in specific industries. We are monitoring for these directives.
While we follow the advice from the Department of Health and supporting committees such as the AHPPC, we are working to ready our services and provide support. This includes:
- Adding a verification to our Helper matching system so we can vet and identify Helpers (and Five Good Friends team members) who have been vaccinated.
- Keeping all Helpers and Five Good Friends team members up to date on eligibility and vaccine roll out
- Sharing the advice of the AHPPC with all Helpers and Five Good Friends team members strongly encouraging vaccination.
- Attending peak body and industry advice forums to ensure our Quality Outcomes team and business remain up-to-date.
- Reviewing our COVID-19 Safe Work Practices and Standard Operating Procedure
Where can I receive the vaccination?
Your nearest vaccination service can be quickly located by completing the Eligibility Checker. The Government states new service locations are being added, to reach the goal of 4600 sites nationally. The final screen provides a search option based on location. You can make bookings directly. This fact sheet also lists the general practices, and GP-led respiratory clinics as at March 16th where COVID-19 vaccinations will be available. You can also call the Commonwealth Government's COVID-19 information line on 1800 020 080. They will be able to provide you contact details of your nearest vaccination site.
Help to arrange vaccination
We can assist you to receive your vaccination as part of your usual Five Good Friends services. If you would like assistance, please contact the Members Services team on 1300 787 581 option 1.
What evidence do I need to receive the vaccination?
People with disability can rely on their GP clinic’s records as evidence when receiving the vaccination. For people with disability attending a vaccination site other than their regular GP clinic, they can rely on medical records as evidence such as:
- MyHealth Record
- Clinical records from a GP
- A referral from GP or treating specialist
- A printout of your medical history as recorded in your clinical records;
- A printout of your chronic disease care plan; a discharge summary from a hospital or other medical facility; or
- A valid script or medication prescribed to treat one or more of the relevant medical conditions
Where none of these are available you can complete the Eligibility Declaration Form contained in this link and use that as evidence of your eligibility.
Can I choose which vaccine I receive?
There is more than one COVID-19 vaccine available in Australia. Every vaccine approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) must meet strict standards. The TGA has approved two COVID-19 vaccines for use in Australia, the:
The Commonwealth Government has stated there is no opportunity to preference a vaccine. The vaccine you receive will depend on:
- when and where you will be vaccinated and
- the clinical guidelines that determine who each vaccine is safe for.
Questions about the COVID-19 vaccines
The Commonwealth department of health have prepared this resource to help people learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines. If you have questions or would like to learn more please visit this page.
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveilance also provides comprehensive information on the vaccinations.It states:
Although our ageing and disabled loved ones along with people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk from COVID 19, anyone can get severe disease. In some people, COVID-19 may cause long-term symptoms of fatigue and breathlessness. We are still learning about other long-term complications caused by COVID-19. The virus is also easily spread by people with few or no symptoms; even if you may not become unwell with COVID-19, others you may pass on the virus to can. By vaccinating, you are protecting yourself and others from COVID-19. It is also likely that once a large amount of people are vaccinated, this will decrease the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
We must remain diligent and vigilant
As the vaccination roll out continues we must all remain vigilant. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 such as a cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath or runny nose, even if these are mild, you should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible. To arrange testing contact your GP or you can visit a COVID-19 testing clinic in your area. Please advise us immediately if you are going to be tested.
Once again thank you for being a Member of Five Good Friends. We will continue to work hard to keep you up-to-date and ensure you receive safe, kind and flexible support in your home.
William Garton Head of Quality and Programme Development
