As of 11 September 2021

Staff

• Providers must exclude non-essential staff.
• Staff that are considered necessary for operational purposes must be assessed for risk of exposure in determining their suitability for work in the facility. What is considered an essential service, however, will involve a discussion between the provider and the client and an assessment of risk to the individual and the home care worker. In some instances, certain activities can wait, but in others the service may still go ahead to ensure that the client is in a safe environment.

Exclude staff who:

• are a close or casual contact of COVID-19, prior to completing their isolation and testing requirements. (Staff who are casual contacts are no longer excluded from entry for 14 days from their date of exposure, however should be risk assessed by the facility before returning to work.)
• from 9 September, live or work in an area of concern and cannot provide evidence of having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of an appointment for vaccination that is before 19 September 2021. On very rare occasions, there may be a medical contraindication to COVID-19 vaccination. A COVID-19 medical contraindication certificate is required in this circumstance.
• live in Greater Sydney and work more than 50 km outside of Greater Sydney and have not had a COVID-19 test in the preceding 7 days (evidence of the test must be shown). Greater Sydney still includes Wollongong and the Blue Mountains.
• have been to Victoria or the Australian Capital Territory since in the past 14 days and have not had a negative COVID-19 test result.
• have been to any close and casual contact places of high concern in Victoria, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory.
• have been in New Zealand in the last 14 days
• have COVID-19 symptoms
• are a close contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19 and are within their self-isolation period.
• live in a household with a person who is currently self-isolating.
• are waiting for a COVID-19 test result (except for surveillance purposes)

All home care service providers must maintain vigilance to prevent the introduction of COVID-19. Until further notice all staff in NSW must wear a surgical mask .

Please refer to the NSW Government website for further information about the current rules and restrictions in NSW, including testing requirements and permits for workers.

Residents

All residents living in all areas of NSW are urged to wear a mask whist a home care worker is in attendance where possible.

COVID-19 safety measures for home care service providers

• Staff who have been overseas must agree to be tested for COVID-19 two days after leaving hotel quarantine (this does not apply to New Zealand). They must receive a negative test result prior to working. This is an additional measure to protect the community. Please read Passengers leaving hotels who have completed 14 days of mandatory quarantine for more information.
• 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).
• 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.

Mandatory mask wearing

• Under the Public Health (COVID-19 Additional Restrictions for Delta Outbreak) Order 2021 masks are mandatory for everyone in NSW while in an indoor location, unless the person is in the person's place of residence. This includes waiting for or using public transport.
• A staff member or resident may remove their mask:
• while communicating with another person who is deaf or hard of hearing
• if wearing a mask creates a risk to health and safety
• where clear enunciation or visibility of your mouth is essential
• Anyone removing a mask for one of these reasons should maintain 1.5m distance from others wherever possible.
• If leaving the home with a home care worker, anyone with a physical or mental health illness or condition, or disability, that makes wearing a mask unsuitable is not required to wear a mask. For example, someone with a skin condition, an intellectual disability, autism or trauma, you are not required to wear a mask.
• If a person cannot wear a face mask because of a disability, physical or mental health illness or condition, they must carry either
• a medical certificate or letter signed by a registered health practitioner (such as a doctor) or a registered NDIS provider or
• a statutory declaration.

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:
• NDIA on 1800 800 110 or via NDIA
• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 180 035 544 or via NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
• Ministry of Health on 9391 9858 or via email MOH-NDIS@health.nsw.gov.au.