As of 25 February 2021
Key points
- Staff are not required to wear a surgical mask in NSW. Currently there are no cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in NSW or areas of increased testing, however there have been recent cases in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Exclude staff who:
- have a fever (37. 5°C or higher) or
symptoms of COVID-19
- have been in Auckland, New Zealand in the last 14 days
(in exceptional circumstances contact the Public Health Unit for advice).
-
have been to any of the locations on the
close contact or
casual contact lists at the times and dates listed for 14 days after they visited the location. Advice can be sought from the Public Health Unit for allowing entry for essential staff in exceptional circumstances who have been to a
casual contact location and received a negative result.
- live in a household with a person who is currently self-isolating
- are a close contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19 and are within their self-isolation period
- are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
- Regularly visit the
NSW COVID-19 website for updates on areas of active community transmission
- All home care service providers must maintain vigilance to prevent the introduction of COVID-19. While there are currently no cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in NSW or
areas of increased testing,
there have been recent cases in Auckland, New Zealand.
COVID-19 safety measures for home care service providers
-
Minimise staff working across multiple settings (such as in home and residential care). Where ceasing staff movement across settings is not practical, additional measures should be put in place, such as maintaining records of staff and work locations and increasing use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Staff are not required to wear a surgical mask during home visits.
- Ensure staff actively ask clients about symptoms on arrival. If staff become aware of a client with symptoms, that client should be isolated from others and arrangements made for COVID-19 testing.
Exceptional circumstances
In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible for excluded staff to continue to work if exclusion will result in significant compromise to patient care. This could include situations where staffing numbers are significantly impacted by exclusion criteria. Please contact your local Public Health Unit (1300 066 055) for advice as to how to appropriately manage these situations. Staff with symptoms, or who have been identified as close contacts of someone with COVID-19, should not be exempted.
Additional advice for all home care service providers
- The Commonwealth Department of Health has issued a
Guide for Home Care Providers to assist staff in reducing the risk of COVID-19.
- More detailed advice for services who provide care in the home is at:
Guidance for risk screening and assessment for home visiting health services.
- Please seek the advice of your local NSW Health Public Health Unit if you are in doubt about how to appropriately mitigate risk when providing home care services on 1300 066 055.
- For more information about NDIS-related issues, including any funding issues relating to compliance with these measures for NDIS participants, contact: